Miraculous Pirates!
by blackmailingqueen
Summary: Pirate AU. That's all I'm gonna say here.
1. Backgrounds

So, I'm writing this because I've noticed a distinct lack of Pirate AU's in this fandom. That, and the fact that this idea ambushed me in the schoolyard and threatened to beat me up if I didn't write it out.

On that cheery note: I own nothing!

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Once upon a time, there were seven friends who loved the water..._

* * *

Marinette was born on the ocean. A storm had been raging for three days when her mother went into labor. Her mother, Sabine, was the captain of the pirate ship **Tikki**. She was known throughout the world as Ladybug.

Maybe that's why Marinette never understood why other girls always fussed about the way ocean water ruined their hair, or never wanted to play fight or anything else that she had grown up loving.

However, on Marinette's fourteenth birthday, Sabine informed the crew that she would be retiring. This horrified everyone, Marinette especially. She couldn't imagine living anywhere but **Tikki** and she really didn't want to try.

Luckily for her, the birthday present from her parents was the captain's position.

* * *

Chloe was the daughter of the mayor of a grand sea-side town. She had everything she could ever want, toys, friends, clothes, etc. Everything, that is, except her father's attention and love. He was always busy and whenever she wanted to visit him, he would make up some apology and buy her some expensive gift. Chloe was only six at the time, but even she could figure out that that wouldn't work forever.

So one day Chloe ran. She grabbed a bee comb that belonged to her deceased mother, some extra clothes, snuck some food from the kitchen and ran.

She made it quite a ways when she ran into another little girl, literally. The girl looked about the same age as Chloe, but it was obvious the two couldn't have been more different.

Where Chloe had fair pale skin, light blonde hair and, light sky blue eyes, the other girl had a nice golden tan, dark blue hair, and ocean deep blue eyes. Chloe was dressed in the latest fashions, the other was barely dressed at all.

Even though they were so different, the girl stuck out her hand and smiled, "Hi! I'm Marinette! But you can call me Mari."

Chloe daintily grabbed Marinette's hand and shook it, "It's nice to meet you Marinette. I'm Chloe."

"You sound weird. All grown up like. You should try to loosen up more!"

"...I'll keep that in mind."

"Where's your Mommy and Daddy? Aren't they here with you."

Chloe shook her head, embarrassed to tell this stranger that she'd run away. Though, it seemed Marinette understood, because she just smiled wider and dragged Chloe back to **Tikki** , and brought Chloe home.

* * *

Nino was five when he first stole. But it wasn't his fault, he and his family needed the food. Unfortunately, that winter was especially harsh, and he was the only member of his family to see the next spring.

By the time he was six, Nino was adept at the art of stealing and could evade even the best of cops. But he was still a kind soul. If he could risk it, he'd steal food for the other homeless.

So when he was seven and an old homeless man offered him a turtle bracelet as thanks for the pie he'd snatched for him, Nino had kindly accepted it.

Not two days later, he was caught by a guard and thrown in jail. There he met a large man who looked extremely out of place in the dirty cell. But that didn't stop the man from getting up from his spot and helping Nino up. "Thanks."

"No problem, son. I'm Tom. What's your name?" As he was talking Tom handed Nino a stale piece of bread that was supposed to pass for a meal.

"Nino."

Tom smiled kindly. "Um, if you don't mind me asking mister. Why are you in here?"

Tom laughed, "You could say it's more of who I know than anything I've done." Then his voice dropped so that the guard couldn't hear him, "But don't you worry Nino, the two of us are leaving tonight." Then Tom winked, and Nino didn't believe him.

But sure enough, after the guard had dozed off around two a.m. a shadow detached itself from the wall and unlocked the door. As the three of them ran towards the docks, did Nino see that the shadow was a small woman with dark blue hair and a kind face, hidden by a black and red polka dot mask.

Once they were out to see, Nino was introduced to, and promptly tackled by, Tom's daughter and adoptive daughter, Marinette, and Chloe.

* * *

When Sabine and her husband, Tom, had found Alya a mere eight-year-old with a fox pendant swinging from her neck, they were concerned for the young girl, and her infant sisters, and warry.

It had been a long time since the captain of **Tikki** had seen that pendant, and it never seemed to bode well.

But they had taken the three young ones on board, not that they had much choice in the matter: Marinette, eight at the time as well, had taken one look at the dark-skinned girl holding two babies and practically dragged them onto the ship.

Tom and Sabine raised the five children to the very best of their abilities. Turning them into fine pirates.

* * *

Alix and Kim showed up together. **Tikki** had been moored at a peaceful village getting repairs from a recent storm when the two snuck aboard. It was only after the ship was far out to sea, that they were discovered.

Funny enough, they were found by Alya, who had been looking for a hiding place during a game of Hide and Seek.

The two were brought before the captain, who looked at her husband before smiling and bringing the two friends into their cabin for some food.

They were both grubby and tired, not to mention hungry, but Sabine noticed that each one held a brooch. Kim held a brooch that looked like a butterfly while Alix's looked like a fan of peacock feathers.

It turned out that both nine-year-olds were from far inland and were running from something neither would speak of.

They were wholeheartedly accepted into the fold the other four had created, in being the only children on board the pirate ship.

Alya's sisters, Ella and Etta, didn't count because they were too young to do anything yet.

So the six became family.

* * *

We will learn more about Adrien next time!

Tell me what you guys thought!

See ya next time!


	2. Unwanted Proposal

By all rights I should still be sleeping, this story woke me up.

I own nothing!

Enjoy!

* * *

 _The seven loved the ocean, and sailing so much, that as a surprise for each other, they all built boats and formed a small fleet together. They called themselves the Miraculous Fleet..._

* * *

Adrien was a kind boy who grew up the son of a tailor. Gabriel, his father, was almost always busy with new customers, dresses needing to be taken in or let out, things like that, but he always made time for his son. The two were slightly wealthy and did their best to help others when they could.

Adrien was fourteen when the idea of proposing to Lila was, well proposed. Now Adrien had known Lila for many years. But he didn't love her. He dismissed the idea right off the bat, and why shouldn't he? Adrien wasn't in any rush to get married, at least, not to Lila.

Lila was the daughter of a very rich family, and she was very spoiled. Her and Adrien were too different to ever have a good relationship with the other.

But, when he was sixteen things started to go downhill. His father's shop, which had always done well, began to see a decline in income. Then, a year later, people began to actively avoid the shop, and the small family began to hear rumors about themselves.

Adrien knew he couldn't prove it, but he also knew that Lila and her family were responsible. So, on his eighteenth birthday, sucking up his pride, dignity, and personal moral code, Adrien went to the fanciest jeweler he could find and bought a ring.

Knowing that her family wanted a big grand proposal, Adrien waited until Lila's seventeenth birthday party. He danced, mingled, and dropped subtle hints to everyone there that he'd be proposing later.

So that's why when the cake had been cut and presents were about to be opened, Adrien approached Lila. He kissed her hand before getting down on one knee. To everyone looking it appeared that she had a surprised, yet hopeful look on her face but Adrien knew better, her smile was smug and victorious.

"Lila Rossi, would you do me the greatest... honor of... marrying me?"

"Oh of course Adrien!"

The rest of the presents lay forgotten as the newly engaged danced their first dance together. Lila laid her head on Adrien's chest, "You know if you'd done this four years ago, your father's business wouldn't be in the ruin it is now."

"I know Lila."

"Oh, there's no need to be so formal Adri-poo! After all, we're going to be married in a few weeks."

"A few weeks!?"

"Of course. I've been planning this for four years."

* * *

Wow. Don't you just hate Lila?

Comment what you guys thought!

See ya next time!


	3. Wedding Present

I own nothing!

Enjoy!

* * *

 _...None of them started sailing with the intention of becoming a pirate. That happened later. At first, they were merely ferrymen/women..._

* * *

Marinette smiled at the sleeping town from her ship. The winter chill doing nothing to dampen her spirits or her plans for the following day.

Apparently, there was going to be a wedding tomorrow, and the groom was a friend of Nino's. In fact, Nino was with that same friend right now, having a bachelor party.

Tomorrow was going to be such fun.

* * *

Adrien sighed as he dressed for his wedding. Which was pretty much the last thing he wanted to be doing. Staring at his mirror, Adrien practiced smiling happily, it looked like he'd just been punched in the gut.

He turned around when there was a knock at his door. "Come in."

Adrien's father walked in. "I wish I could say congratulations on finding the perfect girl. But from the look in your eyes, I can tell that's not what happened."

"You could say that that's an understatement."

"Well, I doubt that this will make it any better, but here."

Gabriel handed Adrien a small black box.

"Thanks, Dad, but I already have a wedding ring: compliments of Lila's father."

"It's not for the wedding. It's for you."

"I don't understand."

"Your mother made me promise that I'd give you that ring on your wedding day. It's supposed to bring good-luck."

Adrien stared at the black ring with an emerald paw print as the centerpiece. "...I-I don't know what to say..."

"Just say that you'll wear it today." Gabriel shrugged, "You never know. Maybe it really will bring you the thing you're looking for."

"Of course. Thanks, Dad." Adrien wiped a few tears from his eyes.

"Hey now. No crying today."

"Yeah..."

His father laughed, "Oh yeah. I completely forgot, how did your fiance react to Nino as your best man?"

"She nearly had a fit."

"Good!"

Then the two saw the time. It was nearly time to head to the church. "Well, we best be going."

Adrien sighed, "Yeah."

* * *

"Mari, are you sure this is going to work?"

"Nope!"

"Thank you for that bit of confidence."

"Nino, stop moving, you're over thinking it. Adrien is one of your best friends, and you are going to his wedding as his best man. It just so happens that we're also going to raid the town looking for the ring."

Marinette finished tying Nino tie and helped him straighten his suit out. He looked every bit the best man.

"There! Finished! Now get to the church."

"Yeah yeah."

"Remember, keep your spots on!"

Nino laughed as he left the ship. Once he was on the dock, he raised his left hand, which held a dark green mask with light green lines all over it.

* * *

So things have happened.

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	4. First Meeting

I hope you all enjoy!

I own nothing!

* * *

 _When fights began breaking out amongst the other sailors, and people became hesitant to cross the water, that is when the idea of piracy was first introduced to them. Then they saw a small cargo ship fleeing from inland. They chased the ship down and saw it was carrying a ton of contraband. That is when the thought of piracy became more than a vague idea._

* * *

Adrien stood, next to Nino, at the altar with a forced smile plastered on his face. Lila had yet to come out and the ceremony was supposed to start half an hour ago.

Nino leaned over to whisper, "If she doesn't show in fifteen, I say we leave." Adrien's smile became much less forced and he nodded slightly.

"Deal."

Unfortunately, ten minutes later, the music started to play and Lila began to walk down the aisle. But just as she reached Adrien, the church doors burst open, and a small woman dressed in red and black, with her dark blue hair tied back into pigtails and a captains hat on her head, began to walk to the altar.

Everyone was too shocked to do anything. As she strode past Adrien, the pirate winked.

The groom could feel himself begin to blush.

"Attention everyone! I am Ladybug! And you're all in luck!" The girl said. "The Miraculous pirates have chosen your little seaport as our next raiding spot! But never fear my crew and I have no intentions of harming a single person if you're all willing to do as your told."

Ladybug pulled out her sword. "Since this appears to be quite the event, I can assume that everyone in town is here. Yes?"

Lila in a moment of possible bravery, or most likely pretentious anger at having her wedding interrupted answered, "Of course!"

"Good. Then I want everyone to remain where they are! And to ensure that no one tries anything drastic, when I leave I'm going to be locking the church doors." Here she turns to the head of the church, "Are there any other doors leading into this place besides that one?"

The man can only mutely shake his head. Ladybug smiles and turns to leave.

"HEY! &!#$%!"

Ladybug freezes and turns to glare at Lila. "What." The pirate's voice could've frozen fire.

"You think you can just come in here and ruin the day I've been planning for four years!? No! I demand that you leave this instant!"

In that moment Adrien really wanted to do nothing more than strangle Lila.

The recently angered pirate stalked up to the fuming bride-to-be. "I suggest you think very carefully about what you say before you demand anyone with more power than you to do anything." Dark blue eyes pierced into olive green.

Whipping around Ladybug spoke to the congregation, "There's been a change of plans folks!" Then she whistled and half a dozen pirates appeared.

Two stood in front of the door to keep anyone from running. Another two began relieving the guests of their valuables. The final two began to gather rope.

"Tie everyone up. And make sure that the blushing bride is tied extra tight."

* * *

It's not much, but I had fun writing it!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	5. Revelations

I wasn't even planning to write this today!

I own nothing (as always)

Enjoy!

* * *

 _As their pirating adventures grew, the Miraculous fleet set boundaries for themselves._

 _One: They would never harm anyone if they could at all avoid it._

 _Two: As their infamy was growing, only one ship in the fleet would be out at a time._

 _Three: Every year a different ship would sail._

 _Four: They were to never, ever, reveal where the other ships were hidden when not sailing._

* * *

It had been three hours since the inhabitants of the small town had been tied up and locked in the church. And just as Ladybug had instructed, Lila was tied up tightest of all. To keep her from moving about, a group had been placed all around her, effectively corraling her.

Luckily, Adrien and Nino weren't part of the human corral. In fact, after three hours almost everyone was in a nervous sleep, except for Adrien, Nino, and Gabriel, who were all next to each other.

Finally, Nino made his move. Sliding a dagger from the sleeve of his shirt, he cut the rope and quietly undid Adrien's and Gabriel's.

Motioning for them both to be quiet and follow him, Nino headed for the back of the church.

Once they were away from the others Adrien voiced his questions, "Nino how did you do that!?"

"Dagger. Never leave home without it."

As they were talking, Nino began to undress, and pull out a bundle of clothes, Adrien hadn't known were hidden there.

Then Gabriel asked a question that had often bothered him, ever since he'd met Nino, "And where exactly is your home?"

Nino smirked as he pulled on a new pair of brown pants that were much looser, and a light green shirt, "My home is a traveling one, that takes me where ever her captain wishes to go."

"A ship?"

"Of course."

"But no ship ever stays in the harbor for so long every year."

"You could say that she isn't the most... lawful ship out there."

Before father or son could ask any more questions, Nino finished changing by tieing his mask into place and putting a loose dark green vest. Suddenly both knew. Nino was a pirate.

"Now, Adrien, Mr. Agreste. I'm not telling you all this because some random pirate ship decided to attack on your unwanted wedding day. But because... I want Adrien to come with me. The Captain's already agreed to it. Actually, after today, I'm pretty sure your career here is dead Mr. Agreste, and I think the captain would be willing to take you where ever you wanted to go so that you can start up a new life."

Adrien looked at his father. It sounded like a really good offer, and he'd always wanted to sail. But he wouldn't, _**couldn't**_ , just leave his dad.

"Dad?"

"Can you promise that my son won't be hurt?"

"There are no guarantees in life. I can only say that we'll make sure he can defend himself."

"Okay then. Let's go."

Nino smiled and quietly slipped towards a window, which he scratched on three times. The window opened from the outside, to reveal Alya, dressed as her pirate counterpart Rena Rouge. "Hey, handsome. What took you so long?"

"Ha ha." Jade Turtle rolled his eyes, and climbed out the window, before helping Gabriel and Adrien down.

Unbeknownst to them, Lila just happened to wake up at that moment and see her fiance, and future father-in-law being pulled out of a window, by two pirates.

* * *

Two chapter in one day twice!

That's an accomplishment for me!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	6. The Crew

Forewarning, I know jack about sailing. Never even seen a real sailboat. So don't expect any great details about sailing.

As always I own nothing!

Enjoy!

* * *

 _...Once they had decided to become pirates, they were faced with finding a safe place to hide the boats, not in use. Then they met the witch..._

* * *

Adrien, Gabriel, Jade Turtle, and Rena Rouge all snuck through the town and out to the docks where a red ship sat waiting for them. The first ones to greet them were three little girls of about ten. Two were obviously twins wearing the same outfit with a different color scheme, and the third girl looked like she could've been a younger sibling of theirs.

Rena turned to the third girl, "The captain back yet Manon?"

"Yep! We've been waiting for you two!"

Rena Rouge rolled her eyes. "Well then let's get moving!"

Once they were away from the harbor, Rena, and Jade Turtle went to change into some more comfortable clothes, before introducing Adrien and Gabriel to the rest of the crew.

When they came back, Adrien was still awkwardly standing where they'd left him, and Gabriel was most likely looking for his place to sleep.

"Well since most everyone is sleeping we'll just introduce you to the ones up here. By the way, I'm Alya, and this is Nino!" Alya said as she enthusiastically, and exaggeratedly, pointed to herself and Nino.

"The short blond with multicolored hair at the wheel is Mylene. Tall dark and stoic cleaning the canons is Ivan. Tomato child and Ms. Pink up on the crow's nest are Nathaniel and Rose. And last but certainly not least, the two getting ready to race is Alix and Kim, they are the best repair team I've ever met, for pretty much no other reason than they challenge each other to do better."

As Alya pointed out each member on deck and gave them little nicknames, that could almost seem offensive, but Adrien could tell that she was only messing with the few within hearing.

Adrien knew right then that he was going to love working with them.

* * *

You have no idea how long it took me to come up with the right phrasing for this chapter!

I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but I couldn't seem to put it into words!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	7. The Traveler

I actually had this chapter written up and finished, before I'd even written the previous one! Funny how that works.

I own nothing!

Enjoy!

* * *

 _... After giving her shelter from a hurricane, the witch gave the seven captains each a gift. To the eldest and wisest: a turtle's bracelet, to the sly and cunning: a fox's pendant, the strong-headed socialite received a bee's comb, the deceptively beautiful was gifted a peacock's brooch, to the delicate but strong fighter: a butterfly's brooch, to the second youngest and most creative: a pair of ladybug's earrings, and finally to the youngest but most destructive: a black cat's ring. And as a final gift to all of them a place to hide their ships that could only be traveled to, if all seven jewels were together..._

* * *

It was a full two hours after Lila had seen her fiance, Adrien, captured by pirates, that someone untied them all.

As it turned out it wasn't even anyone from town! The one who saved them was a random traveler who called himself Dylan.

Lila took it upon herself to thank him personally.

"Thank you for rescuing us, Mr. Dylan."

"It was no problem miss. But may I ask why everyone was tied up in the church?"

"Ugh. A pirate named Ladybug attacked our town, right before I was going to be married too!"

"Did you say Ladybug?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because that very same pirate kidnapped my fiance as well. Her name was Marinette and she was the most beautiful person I had ever met. I've been on a quest trying to hunt the thieving pirate down and reunite with my love."

"Have you run into them yet?"

"Alas no. It seems I'm always just one step behind."

"Mr. Dylan, you wouldn't happen to have any sailing experience, would you?"

"As it happens Ms. Lila, I'm a captain of a small fleet of ships. May I ask why?"

"Because I think the two of us could be very helpful to each other. If you allow me to sail with you to find our fiances, then I will assist you in tracking them."

"You know how to track overseas?"

"I'm very good at finding what's mine."

"...Ms. Lila, I do believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

If you've read Miraculous Spies you already know that Dylan is a bit of a jerk that I made up. But since he didn't have much relevance in that story, here he is again!

If you haven't read said fanfic above, don't worry about it, he showed up like twice.

Hope you all enjoyed!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	8. The Seamstress

I own nothing!

Enjoy!

* * *

Marinette stifled a laugh as her newest crew member stumbled into the workspace. Adrien was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and trying not to knock anything over.

Alya's sisters had woken him up at the crack of dawn, by jumping on him, and telling him that he needed to see the ship's seamstress.

It had been two weeks since Adrien and his father had come aboard Tikki, and either had yet to see the captain. Gabriel had spent most of that time, however, in the small room that had been cleared out for him. His son, on the other hand, had begun to acquaint himself with the other members of the crew.

Since he had grown up on stories of the Miraculous Pirates, Adrien was surprised to see nearly all of the crew at least his age if not younger

But he hadn't just spent that time getting to know everyone, he'd also spent it hopping from one chore to the other, while the more experienced members tried to find the best place to put him.

When Ella and Etta had woken him up, Adrien just went with it so that they'd stop jumping on him. He hadn't even listened to why he was needed here.

"Rough awakening?"

"Haha. Very funny."

"Oh, so the precious groom isn't a morning person! Duly noted."

Adrien mock glared at the blue-haired girl. She was one of the few he hadn't met in the past two weeks, yet he felt like he'd seen her somewhere before.

"Why am I here anyway?"

"I need your measurements."

"What for?"

The dark haired girl looked him up and down. "Because I seriously doubt you want to spend the rest of your life wearing your wedding tux or ill-fitting hand-me-downs from Nino."

Adrien blushed, despite himself. It was true. Ever since he'd come aboard, he was either wearing Nino's old clothes or his tuxedo, which was very inconvenient for working. With a sigh, Adrien lifted his arms. "Fine."

The girl merely laughed.

* * *

So not much happened in this one, but I still think it was cute.

Please comment what you think! It will always help me write the next chapter just a little bit quicker.

See ya next time!


	9. Breakfast

So I'm in the middle of my spring break and haven't updated anything this week!

I feel ashamed. =(

Anyway! I own nothing!

Enjoy!

* * *

As Marinette took Adrien's measurements the two talked. He told bad cat puns and she'd laugh or snort. When Marinette finished, Adrien offered to escort her to breakfast. Marinette happily agreed.

The meal was simple but the atmosphere in the mess hall made it all the more enjoyable.

While they were eating Adrien noticed that everyone seemed slightly more excited than usual.

"So Nino, why is everyone so excited?"

"Two words: Story Night!"

"Story Night?"

"Yes. Once a month, we have a special story night for the younger members, their pick. Marinette was the one to start it when Alya couldn't get the twins to stay in bed."

Nino laughed to himself, "But it has become a ritual that we've never been willing to break!"

Adrien smiled, already feeling the stirrings of excitement for the coming night. Then Nino had to ruin it for him, "Until then, however, we've still got lessons with Manon's mom." Suddenly the excitement was gone replaced by the dread of school goers everywhere.

"How is it-" Adrien asked, "That I'm getting more schooling on a pirate's ship than I was as a respectable tailor's son?"

His friend laughed and told him to finish his breakfast.

* * *

Still, nothing really important going on but I'm having a blast writing these!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	10. A Story

I thought about this (a lot) and figured out the perfect story to tell for this 'story night.'

And yes. Nadja Chamack is going to be the teacher of Adrien. Because Manon is not going to be an orphan!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

The lessons that were taught on Tikki weren't your average school lessons. Those kind were there, just much less important. For the most part, the teacher, Manon's mother, taught sword fighting, generalship management, how to tell if a storm was approaching, etc. Though if Adrien were being honest with himself, it was really embarrassing to be the only teenager in the beginners class, and even then be soundly beaten in different areas by the three little girls in the class with him.

But that day, Adrien almost breezed through the lessons, he was still horrible at them, but they weren't as daunting as they had been the day before, nor was he the only one that was spacing out in anticipation for the coming night.

Eventually, Nadja rolled her eyes at the four students and shooed them away from her saying that they could have the rest of the day off, but be prepared to do double the work the next day. As if waiting for those very words the three girls ran off and Adrien bowed his head before rushing off to find Nino.

Nadja laughed as she picked up the slates that her students had been writing on, thinking back on the days when she'd first arrived on Tikki. She'd been barely more than a teenager herself, a runaway with nowhere to go and no way to support herself. Luckily she'd taken shelter in the bottom of a boat during a fierce storm and woken up to see the face of a young woman not much older than herself. As it turned out, Sabine had just been given the position of Ladybug and wanted all the help she could get. Nadja was willing and, mostly, able. They had become fast friends.

With a twinkle in her eye, the pirate teacher walked out of her classroom and started getting ready for the coming night.

The hours seemed to drag on into infinity to everyone on board as they waited for the sun to set. But finally, the dinner bell was rung and everyone rushed to the mess hall. It seemed that even Gabriel hadn't managed to escape the excitement of the night, as he talked animatedly with Nadja. Adrien was happy for his father, being a tailor didn't leave much room for socializing after all.

Unsure of what to do once he was finished Adrien followed everyone else after they finished. They all headed below decks where Marinette, the twins and, Manon were already waiting.

Adrien sat in the second row with Alya and Nino, while his father and the few other adults were more towards the back. The rest of the crew seemed to sit in a prearranged seating order. Ella Etta and Manon, being the three youngest and reason for the whole event, were sitting in the front row.

Marinette smiled at the girls in an almost clowny sort of way, "So young pirates, what are we hearing tonight?"

Even from behind, Adrien could tell that all three were in complete agreement because they nodded and as one said, " The Flying Ladybug!"

Suddenly the room was tense and everyone seemed to be staring at Marinette as if they were worried she'd snap, while Adrien and Gabriel were just confused. But instead, she laughed and agreed that it was an excellent story to tell.

With a flick of her hand, the lights dimmed and she began.

* * *

So this was really just the set up for the next chapter!

I was honestly planning to have the actual story in this one, but it seemed to be getting a little long.

See ya next time!


	11. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 1)

This is going to be like the first quarter (third?) of the story!

I.O.N.

Hope you enjoy!

 _The ship rolled on the choppy seas as rain pelted them from every direction. Ladybug held tight as best she could to the post, but every second that passed she could feel her grip on the ship slipping. For a moment, the young pirate captain wished she'd left this duty to one of the others for a few hours. But then that moment passed and Ladybug was calm in the sense that no one else had to be out in this terrible storm._

 _They had all seen it coming and were able to get everything stored away and as safe as possible before it hit, so there was no reason for anyone but the captain to be out. She was there to make sure that nothing important flew away, but that didn't seem to matter as she herself was seconds from being blown off the ship._

 _Now Ladybug wasn't insane, she had thought that something like that might happen so she'd left her earrings in her bunk with a letter that told her first mate exactly who was to be the next Captain._

 _Even as her thoughts drifted the pouring rain loosened her fingers hold on their perch and the young captain Ladybug was pulled away when the next wave hit. She was sent sprawling on the deck, with nothing to tie her down. Somehow Ladybug managed to keep herself from being washed away from her ship when the next wave hit and was mentally preparing for the next one when an unexpected light distracted her._

 _It was one of the youngest members of Tikki's crew, bringing her captain some food to weather the storm on. The light was only momentary, but it was enough to distract Ladybug and when the next wave hit she was washed away with the waves, the young crew member's scream was torn away as well._

Well, that was strange.

And what do you know this bit was short too! _

I really need to work on that.

Also, two chapters! WOOOO!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	12. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 2)

I know the chapters are short, but I like to think that I end them exactly where I need to end them.

On that note, please be patient with me on the slow (Distant voice: Nonexistent) updates.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Looking back on it, Ladybug couldn't tell you how she survived that storm. Every time a wave bashed over her head and dragged her under the stormy waters, it was only some unknown will that made her hold her breath until she was buoyed up to the surface once again, only to repeat the process._

 _This went on for what seemed like hours until she was hit over the head by a floating piece of wood and knocked her unconscious. Her limbs went limp and Ladybug stopped fighting the waves._

 _As it turned out, this is probably what saved her. If she had continued to struggle the waves would've dragged her down. Though as it was the captain was carried along with the waves drifting farther and farther from her ship. And with Tikki went her memories, so that by the time the storm finally stopped and the waters calmed, she had only the barest idea of her self._

 _When the dawn light broke through the remaining clouds, it saw the former pirate captain Ladybug washed up on a foreign beach without a memory to her name... or her name for that matter._

* * *

You are all going to hate me for the next chapter, but I'm still going to write it!

Comment what you thought of it!

See ya next time!


	13. Unwanted Intermission

As you've probably guessed from the title, the story of The Flying Ladybug is pausing for a moment!

I.O.N.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

 ** _"... or her name for that matter."_ **Marinette spoke with the gravity of a trained storyteller. Just as she was about to continue Max, who had left to stretch his legs, rushed into the room looking alarmed.

"Max?"

"Ship sighted!"

At once the room rushed into action. Marinette grabbed the three girls and began herding them off to their room, Mylene, and Juleka headed up to the wheel. Rose was heading for the crows nest. Nathaniel, Kim, and Alex began readying the swords. Ivan, Chloe, Nino, and Alya started readying the cannons. Adrien watched everything moving with absolutely no idea what to do. Max and Sabrina were headed for the powder room when Marinette ran back and grabbed Max's arm effectively stopping him.

"Did you recognize the ship?"

"No, it was too far away to get a good look at it. But I think we should still be prepared for the worst."

Marinette nodded, and turned back towards the door to head back out when she saw Adrien looking like a lost puppy in a busy street. "Adrien," she said as she half walked half ran over to him, "I'm going to go make sure that everything is locked in my workshop, could you keep an eye on the girls, please?" Adrien nodded and smiled, happy that he had something to do. "Oh! And you might want to take your father with you too. I don't want him to get hurt if worst comes to worst."

With a second nod, the newest pirate in training gently grabbed Gabriel's hand and headed in the direction that he'd seen the sweet seamstress originally go.

Marinette watched long enough to make sure that they were going to the right place, before heading off to prepare herself. After all, it would be rude if the captain of the ship wasn't there to greet her guests.

* * *

This is a horrible place to end it, but it Just. Feels. So. Right!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	14. Guests of Tikki

I can't think of anything to put here. Maybe tommorow.

I.O.N.

*Yawn* Enjoy!

* * *

Adrien sat on one of the spare stools as the twins and Manon stood near the door listening for the outcome. Gabriel stood against a wall, waiting to see what the young ones would do.

With a huff, Manon walked away from the door and sat at Adrien's feet, "This is ridiculous! The three of us have been members of this ship longer than most of them have! We should be out there too!"

Ella shrugged and went back to listening at the door, while Etta replied, "It doesn't matter, we're still too young to be above deck before the fighting breaks out. The Captain said we were to stay down here until the situation is known, so that's what we do. You know that Manon."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Gabriel seemed to take an interest in the conversation, "'The Captain', you mean Ladybug?"

Ella smiled, "Of course! Who else would we be talking about!"

"My son and I have been on this ship for two weeks, and still have yet to officially meet her."

Now Manon shrugged cryptically her previous annoyance forgotten, "The Captain is a busy woman, you can't expect her to micro-manage the entire ship. She knows her crew is capable of handling themselves so it would just look bad if she tried to look over everything."

Etta and Ella giggled, "Besides," they said in unison, "you've seen her around."

Gabriel tried to question the girls some more, but it seemed that their weird cryptic message was the last thing they would say on the topic.

Meanwhile, Marinette finished tying her Ladybug mask around her head and walked out of her personal cabin to join the tense calm that had fallen over her ship. Rose was up in the crow's nest with a spyglass trying to get a better look at the ship that was closing in on them in the dark. "Can you see anything, Rose?" Ladybug called up softly.

"Only a vague outline Captain. We'll have to let it get closer."

Ladybug nodded to herself and told Rose to keep an eye on them for any sudden movements.

It was ten minutes later when Rose called down that she could see the name of the ship. "It looks like the Liberty!" She called excitedly. Ladybug let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and smiled.

Nodding to Rena Rouge to let the others know they were safe to come out, Ladybug got ready to receive the other ship.

The Liberty was a passenger ship turned trading ship. It was captained by Anarka Couffaine, Juleka's mother, who was absolutely mortified to learn that the ship her daughter had joined was actually one of the most feared pirate ships of all time, and was only slightly mollified when she learned that they were more often than not like giant ferries. But she had put her foot down without remorse when her son, Luka, tried to join his sister's crew. After that brief misunderstanding, the two ships had become quite good allies and enjoyed a small time together whenever they crossed paths.

In addition, though never admitted, Tikki would keep other pirates away from the little trading ship.

"Ahoy Tikki! How 'ave ye been?"

"We've been well Captain Anarka! And you?"

As mother, daughter, and son got reacquainted Ladybug grabbed a small snack for the other ship's captain to eat.

"If you don't mind my asking Anarka. Where is the Liberty headed?"

"We be headed t' th' Northeast port t' trade some exotic spices that we'd bought down South."

"Would you like us to accompany you there?"

"No, I reckon 'twould be best if we didn' land in th' same port as th' infamous Pirate Ladybug 'n her terrifyin' crew."

"Well if you ever need an escort you know who to call!"

"That we do Ladybug, that we do!"

After a few hours of talking, and catching up on the latest gossip, the Liberty and Tikki parted ways, just past moonset.

* * *

I really should have something here, but it's almost midnight and my brain is fried.

Goodnight.

*Eyes barely open* See ya next time!


	15. Continuing the Story

The writing spirits are conspiring against me writing out the next chapter of The Flying Ladybug!

It'll probably be out in a few days if I'm lucky!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

After the Liberty had sailed away, and before Gabriel could try and talk to her, Ladybug returned to her cabin, after talking with Paeon and Papillion for a few minutes. It seemed that Ladybug had just locked the door to her cabin when Marinette appeared from the depths of her workspace.

Instantly the three little girls pounced on her and insisted that she finish the story.

"Are you sure? It's getting pretty late."

Manon leveled a disturbingly terrifying glare at her, that really showed just how long she'd been around the pirates, and said, "Finish. The. Story."

Marinette laughed and ushered the young pirates back below decks. After a few minutes, the rest of the crew flowed in and settled. Ready for the rest of the story.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	16. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 3)

Did ya miss me?

The great spirits of inspiration have favored me once more!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _When the young woman woke up, she was in a large fancy bed with another woman sitting beside her. "Miss! You're awake! How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Oh, the master will be so glad to hear it! But first, we need to get you out of those clothes! Wait here for a moment while I fetch the others." Then the other lady was up and heading for the door before Ladybug could ask any questions._

 _The next few minutes were a blur of confusion, that just served to destroy any imagined peace the teen might have had. Finally, she managed to get the woman she'd woken up to alone to ask her some questions. Taking a deep breath she asked, "Ma'am, I don't mean to be rude, but where am I? Who are you? Who am I? Why am I here? What happened to me?"_

 _The older woman gave the younger a sad look, as she realized how startling all of it must seem to the child. She took a deep breath and tried to answer the questions to the best of her ability, "You are in the house of Lord Dylan. My name is Celest. You're here because our master found you washed up on the beach after a storm. And as for who you are and what happened to you, well we were kind of hoping you'd answer that ourselves."_

 _Taking a few deep breaths the young girl processed everything that she'd just heard. And the rising panic at realizing that she had no idea who she herself was. In fact, the only thing that she did even vaguely remember was walls of water and fear._

 _It took a little longer than planned but the virtual army of maids finally left the room and left the amnesia-ridden girl with Celest and waited for a summons from this 'Lord Dylan'. Once it came, Celest and the girl walked slowly and headed for a room on the other side of the house._

 _The talk lasted a few hours in which Lord Dylan explained how he had come upon her at the beach the morning after a terrible storm on his daily walk. Afterward, they had speculated that she had possibly been washed overboard during the storm, which would explain the memory of water._

 _For her part, Ladybug told him how she could remember nothing of her past, not even her name. "Well that is a problem, now isn't it?" Lord Dylan had said and then proceeded to come up with random names in hopes that it might strike a chord with her. Eventually, she had let her mind wander and saw a little ladybug sitting on the window outside. Then inspiration struck._

 _"How about until we stumble upon my real name, because this will take a while, everyone can call me_ _ **Connie**_ _!"_

 _Dylan looked at her strangely, "Why_ _ **Connie**_ _?"_

 _"Short for Connielle."_

 _And so it went, every day_ _ **Connie**_ _would meet up with Lord Dylan and they would try and figure out her name. Though she didn't realize it, the girl was making the young lord fall in love with her, unfortunately, she felt only the love one would feel for a sibling._

 _Which was really going to be a problem when he decided to propose to her._

* * *

Soooooo. What'd'cha think?

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	17. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 4)

It's been way too long since we've heard from our favorite pirate ship in this story!

And I'm sorry to say, The Flying Ladybug is going to need more than four parts.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Weeks had passed since the crew of Tikki had seen their leader and everyone was beginning to fear that she had drowned in that storm. Well, all but the youngest amongst them, who still believed in miracles and fairies and Ladybug's oldest friend. They felt it in their bones that their captain would come back.

Ever since the storm, Tikki had been prowling every coastline they could easily get to, going off at any rumor about a young woman washing up on a beach. One of Ladybug's second in command had just heard such a rumor in a local tavern when another patron warned them off, "You won't want to go there, boy! If the girl you're looking for is there, she won't be able to leave by now."

"What do you mean?"

"Lord Dylan is known to be a possessive man, if he takes an interest in her then they'll be married soon enough!"

The second in command looked horrified at the idea of his captain married off to some lord without any say in the matter. He turned back to the old man warning him away. "Um, where would this Lord Dylan's land be? You know, so my ship and I can avoid it."

The man laughed, "I can see what you're doing boy! You'll go there no matter what I say, so I'll tell you and save you the hardship of finding another reliable source of information. It's about a hundred miles due west, you'll know it's his when you see it. Lord Dylan is also a showboat and everything he owns is larger than many would deem necessary."

"Thank you, sir! What do they call you, so that my friend may thank you when we find her?"

"It doesn't much matter what they call me, but if you must call me something, call me Carapace."

The second in command smiled and ran back to the dock where Tikki was waiting.

* * *

I hope I can get the next bit out soon! The proposal is going to be weird!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	18. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 5)

Today the story covers the proposal!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Lord Dylan sat confidently in his chair as he waited for_ _ **Connie**_ _to show up for their daily meetings to try and find her name. Though today would be little different, he thought with a smile. Today he would propose, sure that she would say yes, after all, he had been nothing but polite and it had been him to save her from the beach, and have his staff nurse her back to health. What reason could she possibly have to say no?_

 _The smile on his face widened as_ _ **Connie**_ _entered the room. Lord Dylan and_ _ **Connie**_ _spoke for a few minutes before Dylan thought it time to give his proposal. "May I ask you a question?"_

 _"Of course, though I don't know if I can answer it."_

 _"I have no doubt you will."_

 _"If you think so."_

 _"I know we haven't known each other long and it's true that you still don't have your memory back, but I believe and hope that if we were to marry then you might find you don't really need your memories so much, as you start to make new ones with me, and eventually a family. So would you do me the honor of marrying me?"_

 _But the latter half of his question had gone unheard, as one word continued to echo throughout_ _ **Connie's**_ _brain, '_ _ **Marry... Mary... Mari... MARINETTE!'**_ _The name snapped into place just as Lord Dylan finished his proposal, and she could help but shout for joy, "Yes! Yes!" She grabbed the lord by his hands and nearly shouted with glee, "I remember! I remember my name!"_

 _Lord Dylan smiled while Celeste and the few other servants that had been around to throw random began to celebrate. In all her excitement Marinette hadn't even noticed that she had been proposed to and had, subsequently, accepted said proposal. Lord Dylan wasn't one to pay much attention to specific details in this certain situation. All he would acknowledge was the fact that he had proposed and the one he had proposed to had said yes._

 _And since he had known all along that she would accept, Dylan had had the entire wedding planned out. All that was left was to send out the invitations, with a little luck the wedding would be held within the week._

* * *

Hope you enjoyed!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	19. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 6)

I think I can finish the story in the next chapter, maybe.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _"Hey, Celeste?"_

 _"Yes Co- Marinette?"_

 _"What's that ship doing out there?"_

 _Celeste walked over to the window where Marinette was watching a ship sailing over the ocean. It was too far away to see any concrete details of the boat, but something about it gave Celeste a bad feeling. "I don't know. It doesn't look familiar. I hope it's not pirates."_

 _"Pirates?"_

 _The older maid looked at the young woman out of the corner of her eye. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she didn't have all of her memories. "Thieves of the sea. Disgusting brutes. It would be a crying shame if they ruined the party." Celeste saw the look on Marinette's face and thought that she'd scared the girl. "Oh! But don't worry dear! Lord Dylan would never let something like that happen."_

 _"Of course... I was just wondering what would cause someone to revert to piracy."_

 _"That's an odd thing for you to be wondering about."_

 _Marinette seemed to snap out of it and smiled at Celeste. "You're right. I'm feeling a little tired I think I'll head to bed a little early if that's alright."_

 _Celeste rolled her eyes and shoved the girl into the bed. "Get some rest. Things are going to be changing soon."_

 _As Marinette slept, she dreamed. In her dreams, she was sailing across the oceans, three young women about her age to her right, and two young men to her left. They were all smiling, and telling her to hurry up or they'd miss the tide. In the dream, she tied a red and black spotted mask across her face and left her cabin meeting the five she called siblings, who were all similarly masked._

 _They were quickly joined by others, some older, some younger. But in the dream, every one of them felt like an important part of herself. Each one a person she would fight for._

 _Then Marinette saw a ship sailing towards her. The wood was painted a beautiful red that seemed timeless. On the side in elegant writing was the name of the ship Tikki. Marinette didn't know why but the ship brought tears to her eyes and a longing to her heart._

 _Bolting upright with a gasp, Marinette awoke. Questions tumbled through her mind, **'Who were those people? How do I know them? Do I know them? What was that ship? Why do I want to find it?'**_

 _With a sigh, Marinette resolved to ask Celeste or Lord Dylan about it in the morning and tried to go back to sleep._

* * *

What did you think of her dream?

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	20. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 7)

So I'm not even going to say it could end in the next part, because I obviously can't seem to end it!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Marinette woke up extra early the next morning so that she could ask Celeste. "Good morning Marinette! You're up early!"_

 _"Yeah, I was wondering if I could ask you a question?"_

 _"I'm all ears."_

 _"Have you ever heard of a ship named Tikki?"_

 _Celeste's face paled as she looked at the young woman, extremely worried as to why she would know that ship. With a shaky breath, she answered, "Why do you want to know Marinette?"_

 _"Well, it's just that last night, I had this dream and in it, there was a ship, and I think it was named Tikki." Marinette looked at the older woman who had quickly become like a mother to her, "Why? Is it something bad?"_

 _Fighting back her tears for the girl Celeste once again supplied an answer, "It's a notorious pirate ship. People say that the crew members are cursed because it's been around so long. They're ruthless, and if you were dreaming of that demon ship, Marinette, then I fear it may mean that you've run into it before."_

 _Looking at the woman who was struggling not to cry, Marinette felt horrible for even bringing it up. Taking Celeste's hand, Marinette asked, "Did they take someone from you?"_

 _The older woman looked startled, as if she hadn't even considered it a possibility, "Oh no! I just can't help but feel so scared for you if you had encountered it before." Smiling softly, Marinette hugged Celeste._

 _"Thank you."_

 _Wiping her eyes, Celeste cheered up, "Well, as much as we may want to, we can't sit here gossiping all day! Let's get you dressed and fed, shall we dear."_

 _After properly dressing, Marinette promised to be out in a few minutes wanting to collect her thoughts before her first official breakfast with Lord Dylan. Walking over to the window, she was once again surprised to see the same ship from the night before. Something tugged at her when she saw it like she'd seen it before._

 _Looking closer, Marinette realized that it wasn't the same as the one in her dream, but still felt familiar._

 _When a knock at her door sounded, Marinette made a snap decision, if the ship was still there that evening, she would sneak out to find it. With a smile, Marinette headed out into the hall and into Celeste's waiting escorting arms._

* * *

Marinette smiled as she saw most of her crew doing their best not to fall asleep, including Adrien and Gabriel, the only ones not showing even a bit of sleepiness were Manon, Ella, and Etta. They were still bright eyed and bushy tailed.

"What happened next?"

"Yeah Mari, we have to know!"

She laughed at the mock outrage the three forced themselves to put up, "Yes, well it is getting rather late. How about we finish this next Story Night?"

Ella looked at her captain skeptically, "You promise?"

"I'll do my best!"

The three looked at each other sharing in a silent conversation before nodding. "Alright. Till next time then."

With that, the girls jumped up and headed to bed. Marinette laughed some more as she saw them bump into nearly everyone telling them to go to bed.

* * *

That's right folks! I'm going to give this a rest for a little while.

Don't worry, I'll still wrap everything up in future chapters, but at seven parts it's starting to get ridiculous.

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	21. Tod Meet Vixen

I would like to state that I am not the biggest fan of Lila, as obvious from previous chapters, but I do think that I could give her some rather interesting character development. This chapter is kind of a test for this idea, so I would like any feedback you guys have for it, good or bad.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Although Lila had quickly agreed to go with Dylan so that they could hunt the pirates that had kidnapped his fiancee and her fiance, it actually took around a week for them to set off. Mostly because she had wanted to make sure that all of the townspeople would be okay.

Lila may have been really self-centered, but she had known most of the people since she was a small child, it wouldn't have felt right to leave them without making sure they were okay. Dylan for his part didn't care much whether or not the people were okay. He just wanted to get out to sea and track Marinette, but Lila had convinced him that it would be best to wait for a little while so that the pirates would become comfortable and make a mistake.

For her, it was all a matter of watching the game play out before making any rash decisions. Not that Dylan would've noticed, he thought most women were more of a trophy rather than a person he would spend the rest of his life with and should be seen not heard, so any talents or opinions would be invalid.

Lila had become aware of this particular trait of his and smirked as a plan came to mind as to how she would deal with it.

When they were finally underway, Lila began to put her plan into motion. It was a rather simple yet elegant plan.

First, she would get into his good graces, some harmless flirting would take care of that. Then, Lila would allow him to continue to believe that she was only good for tracking, not that it would be that difficult. After that, she would make harmless requests of him, fetching a pail of water, helping her tie the back of her dress, things like that. The requests would gradually get bigger and bigger until she had him in her back pocket. Finally, once she was securely in control, Lila would make sure to keep it that way, by way of a little extra rum whenever Dylan started to catch on.

It was unknown to both of them that in both of their hometowns, each was often compared to a fox in their manner of thinking and acting. If that was the case then the dog fox just met the vixen that would change everything.

* * *

A rather plain chapter I know but I kind of liked it.

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	22. Home

I feel really bad! It's been almost a week without a new chapter!

That is honestly something I never thought I would be able to say. If you read Miraculous Spies while I was writing it, you probably remember how updates could go for months without anything new.

But now here we are! This story isn't even half a year old and it already has twenty chapters!

And I also just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's commented so far, that really means a lot to me.

Anyway! Now that the mushy stuff is passed, let's get on with the story!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

They had been at sea for close to two months, with the only fresh food coming in the form of the occasional catch of fish. But according to Nino, they were getting close to a friendly port. How any port could be friendly to pirates was unknown to Adrien, but everyone else seemed to be excited. Gabriel just hoped that it wouldn't be some black market port.

Before the week was out, land had been spotted and Marinette informed the two blondes that if the wind stayed with them, they'd reach the port by the next morning. Adrien went to bed extra early that night, so that he would be awake when they reached land.

Imagine his surprise when he woke up and saw the friends he'd made donning their pirate gear. Looking around for Nino, Adrien spotted him, getting his mask adjusted by Marinette. "What's going on? I thought that this port was friendly?"

Marinette smiled at him as she finished the finishing touches on Nino, "It is, but right now we're flying under pirate colors, and this port is kind of like a safe haven for everyone, so all kinds of ships are there and everyone on this ship does have a bounty on their head, so it's best to go as a pirate."

Adrien nodded his head, wondering what Marinette would look like in pirate clothes, he himself had only recently gotten his everyday work clothes so he was still getting used to those. Then something she said struck his mind, "You said everyone on board. What about Ella, Etta, and Manon? Surely they can't have done anything too horrible, they're only like ten."

Nino smirked, "Actually, Ella and Etta are wanted for theft of some very important jewels a few years ago and a couple other less important crimes, and Manon is wanted on three charges of attempted kidnapping of a duke's son, instigating an entire town's population of children to rebel against their parents, a few other things we won't talk about now that she did with Ella and Etta, and um..." Nino scratched his head trying to remember the last one. "Oh yeah! And duping the princess of a small nation to invest in a phony business to save an imaginary ailing brother." Both pirates laughed at Adrien's horrified expression.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. We'll explain more once we get your father a semi-stable job." Alya said as she walked up. "Anyways Adrien you should probably get ready yourself."

"What?"

"Mari, haven't you given the boy his new clothes yet?"

"I gave him the everyday clothes because I usually have enough spare material around for those, but I only just got finished with the pirate."

"Oo. So what did your marvelous brain come up with as a costume?" Alya gave Adrien a once over, "I think he'd make a pretty good clown. Or maybe knight."

Marinette blushed lightly, something that didn't go unnoticed by her friends, "I was thinking he'd look good as a cat."

Now Arien was just confused. What were they talking about? And why was Nino suddenly looking at him like he'd grown two more heads?

"You're sure about that Mari?"

"...Yes."

Suddenly Nino grinned and started dragging Adrien towards Marinette's sewing room, "Everything's still in here right?"

The secret pirate captain laughed and shouted the affirmative. Then she turned to Alya and smiled softly, "We're almost home."

"Yep! And who knows, maybe after we settle the tailor in we could go looking for the other ships. Just the six of us. Like the good old days."

Marinette laughed, "Alya! We're eighteen, we aren't old enough to have good old days yet!" Then with a little frown, she said, "Besides, you know we won't find anything without Chat Noir."

The young fox sighed, "I know. It's just, I want to know what the ship that goes with this necklace looks like."

"We'll find it someday."

Before they could continue their conversation Jade Turtle and the new pirate Adrien returned from the sewing room.

Alya was shocked.

* * *

This is the perfect place to end the chapter!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	23. Oath

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Alya's jaw dropped when she saw the outfit Marinette had made for Adrien. The shirt was dark green, the pants were only a single shade lighter, the boots were black with little lime green paw prints on either side.

But it was the jacket that was the real masterpiece of the entire outfit. It was a black long coat with lime green stitches and a collar that turned up shadowing his face, coupled with the black mask and gunmetal grey bandana with faux cat ears on top, one would hardly believe that this was the same guy that routinely got beaten up by ten-year-olds.

Adrien for his part had never felt so confident before, it was like the outfit was magic and gave him a boost. It felt nice. In fact, Adrien was so confident that when he saw Marinette he smirked. In the time aboard Tikki, he had come to really appreciate her.

The young seamstress blushed, she had never seen him smirk before. She hadn't expected the clothes look so good on him.

When the boys finally stopped, Marinette low-key hid behind Alya, for some reason unknown to Adrien, everyone who saw this found it extremely funny. Chloe, who was already dressed as her pirate persona, Queen Bee, and was standing nearby, took a form of pity on her captain.

"Mari, can you go wake Gabriel up? He'll want to be awake when we come ashore."

Smiling at her oldest friend Marinette nodded, as she seemed to have lost her voice for the moment, and headed towards the older man's room with plans of changing into Ladybug after she woke him.

With a sly smile, the yellow and black dressed pirate turned on Adrien, "So do you have a name for yourself? Or do we just call you Kitten?"

"You may call me Chat Noir. Your Majesty." Adrien shot back, with an exaggerated bow. By this point, Alya, Nino, Alix, and Kim, who had both walked up when they saw Adrien in his pirate suit, were all holding in their laughter.

Chloe played along and with extreme exaggeration batted her eyes, "Oh, I like this one. He knows how to flatter a girl. I think I'll keep him." That was the last straw as four of the most feared pirates on the open sea fell to the deck laughing while the rest of the crew just ignored them, used to their strange ways.

It took them a few minutes to calm down, during which Chloe and Adrien had joined in. The six of them had just stopped laughing when Gabriel approached them. Turning to Nino he asked, "When will we be on land again?"

The turtle themed pirate smiled kindly, "As soon as the captain as given you the oath." Now Adrien turned to look at his friend in confusion.

"What oath?"

"The oath of the harbor." Ladybug's voice answered. Everyone looked around before Mylene spotted the spotted captain coming out from her room, straightening a sleeve. "Every ship that lands at this harbor must have every single person aboard it swear that they will do no harm while docked. If for some reason there is a conflict the two offending members may each take a boat out on the water and settle their affairs there. This is meant to be a safe place, even the vilest of pirates would not dare break the one rule."

Coming to stand in front of father and son Ladybug continues, "Tikki brought you to this safe haven, a place that many consider home, or the closest thing to home they have. Members of us even have family in the harbor." Pausing Ladybug looks each one dead in the eye before finishing, "If either of you breaks this rule of peace, there will be no place you go that we will not find you. No hole to hide in that will not be turned into a grave. Do you both swear to keep the peace?"

Adrien didn't even think before agreeing. Gabriel barely spared a thought in his agreement. After all, one does not break a promise with the captain of the most terrifying pirate crew on the open sea.

* * *

This story has barely been up four months and I'm already on the twenty-third chapter! That's very exciting for me!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	24. Parents

Adrien meets Marinette's parents! Let's see how he reacts, shall we?

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Jade Turtle led Chat Noir into a small bakery, where a very large man was sitting behind the counter.

After Chat and Gabriel took the oath, Ladybug had given her entire crew the day off, with strict orders to not be seen on the ship again for the next forty-eight hours.

Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, and Paon had immediately set off to find a good place to set up Gabriel. They of course also took the tailor with them, so that they could have his input.

The other patrons of the shop seemed startled at their sudden arrival, but the newly dressed pirate was surprised to note that none of them were scared. The man behind the counter, on the other hand, had a completely different reaction. His smile widened into a broad grin and he motioned for them to wait while he finished up with the last of his customers.

Jade Turtle seemed really excited and Chat Noir couldn't help but be infected by it. From the corner of his mouth, Chat whispered, "So why are we here?"

Biting back a grin, his best friend replied, matching the whisper, "You mean besides the fact that this place has the best food anywhere? You'll just have to wait and see."

Soon enough the patrons bought the items they came for and left only the two pirates, the large man and, once Chat noticed her, a petite woman who had come from the back. The last customer had barely left when Jade Turtle jumped from where he'd been sitting and rush the two.

At first Chat Noir was freaked out, but then he noticed that his friend was hugging the two bakers and not trying to kill them. Breathing a sigh of relief, a moment too soon, Chat almost immediately tensed back up when he heard his name being said.

"And this is our newest pirate, Chat Noir!" Jade Turtle was telling the two. Suddenly nervous, all the pirate could do was wave awkwardly. Laughing the turtle themed pirate told his friend, "Chat Noir, these are my parents, Tom and Sabine."

Instantly more relaxed, Chat replied with the first thing that came to mind, "Really? You don't look...like...either of...them..." then immediately felt like he'd just messed up big time.

But luckily Nino laughed that off too, "Adrien! Chill dude! They adopted me."

Sabine smiled kindly at the obviously distressed boy, "Don't worry about it, my husband and I actually adopted a few other pirates from Tikki when they were still little."

"Who? I never noticed anyone acting like siblings."

"Chloe, for one. Along with Alya, Ella, Etta, Kim, and Alix."

"What about Marinette? From what I've heard she's been part of Tikki's crew for a while."

"No. We did not adopt Marinette."

"Yeah, instead they gave birth to me," Ladybug said, as she slipped inside of the bakery, "Really I was quite disappointed when I kept getting more family who were either all the same age as I was or older."

Jade scoffed, "You're just jealous that we all have so much more style than you."

"Remind me again, who made the outfits?"

"..."

"That's what I thought."

Tom stepped in before the two started in on a three-hour argument about something or other, "Marinette! We weren't expecting you for a few more weeks, what have you been up to?"

As Ladybug explained everything that had happened, Adrien was left to process everything. When it finally did, he caught onto one thing.

"Wait." He began as the bakers and their children turned to look at him, "MARINETTE?!" Chat shrieked before passing out from the confusing thoughts running through his brain.

"Well. That took longer than I thought it would."

"Nino!"

* * *

That was way too much fun to write!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	25. The Beginning

I really need to get better at not writing in the middle of the night. *Shrug* Oh well!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Adrien woke up feeling like he'd just been run over by a mob of children. With a groan, he opened his eyes, to an unfamiliar roof. Sitting up proved to be a bad idea, as his head began protesting the movement. It was only on his second look through of the room, that he noticed a petite figure sitting in a corner working on something, and completely ignoring him.

With as much care as possible, Adrien quietly swung his feet over the edge of the bed and softly set them down on the floor. This, apparently, was some sort of signal to the figure in the corner, as they immediately spoke, "So you're finally awake. About time, too."

"Marinette? Where are we?"

"Right now? The spare bedroom in the apartment above the bakery."

"Why?"

"Adrien, I don't know how to tell you this without hurting your male pride, but you fainted." Marinette said as she tried not to laugh.

A blush rose up on the boy's cheeks as he tried to recall what happened before he...passed out. He remembered talking with Nino and his parents, and Ladybug walking in, but everything after that was a blur. "What happened? Is everyone okay? Where's the Captain?"

This time, the young seamstress gave him a small, yet amused smile, "After you caught on to the conversation and fainted, we brought you up here, so that none of the customers had to step over you. Everyone is fine. And as for the Captain, well you've been asking her questions for the past ten minutes."

"Wait, you're the captain? But I thought that was-?" Adrien was beginning to feel light-headed. It must have shown because Marinette crossed the room in three strides and grabbed his arm.

"Hey now. No more fainting. Why don't you sit down while I explain?"

Nodding silently, and sitting back on the bed, Adrien listened to what she had to say.

"It would probably be easiest if I started from the beginning. You see Adrien, I am not the first captain of Tikki. I believe since she's been made, Tikki's had five other Ladybugs beside myself. That's because Ladybug isn't the name of the captain, but more of the title. In fact, my mother Sabine, was the previous Ladybug before she retired and she and Dad opened the bakery. That is why some of the rumors surrounding the captain Ladybug and Tikki can be so skewed sometimes. In fact, I remember one time we went to a port and the rumor around there was that the Ladybug was a seven-foot-tall man who wielded a double-bladed axe, and then in the same breath the one telling the rumor also said, that Ladybug was a woman descended from Sirens who was more charming and deceitful than her ancestors. But anyway the captain of Tikki is always called Ladybug. It's kind of like being two different people sharing the same body."

Adrien stared at Marinette, who was also his captain, "Why didn't you tell me and Father sooner?"

Marinette sighed, "Adrien, I'm going, to be honest. We were never going to tell Gabriel. Not because we don't trust him, but because he wasn't going to stay on the ship and I wasn't willing to take any chances that he might let it slip one day and I'd suddenly have the royal navy after me, as Marinette. Not to mention what would happen to the crew."

Looking at how uncomfortable Marinette looked, Adrien suddenly had a brief glimpse into what it must be like to be the one in charge of protecting so many people, while also knowing that you might have to lead them into a slaughter. "I won't tell anyone, Mari."

"Thanks, it's always nice to have reassurance." Marinette gave him a smile and stood up, "Well, we've spent enough time gabbing up here! You need to go help your dad settle into the new shop, and I've got to help my parents prepare some welcoming treats for him." Then she made a shooing motion with her hand, "So shoo!"

* * *

Well, that was... expositional... and slightly depressing

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	26. Changes

I don't know if any of you know this but I am a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series as well as the anime known as Fairy Tail, and when I was headed to Sonic for a Happy Hour drink I thought of this strange idea: A Percy Jackson styled Fairy Tail.

Anyways, I'm now rambling, so ON WITH THE STORY!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Ladybug absentmindedly rubbed her earring as she watched her crew climb aboard Tikki. It was always entertaining to watch them, as it was only the first few times that any of them came on the ship in a conventional way, some of them would jump up from the docks, or climb up the sides of the ship, and sometimes her friends would find the most random of ways to get aboard.

As the minutes ticked by, Queen Bee, Jade Turtle, Rena Rouge, Paon, and Nabi slowly joined her at the wheel of Tikki to watch everyone have fun. It took a little while, but finally Chat Noir walked up the plank that had been set out. Just as he touched the first boards of the ship, everyone heard a shout. Looking out across the dock showed the new tailor of the town running full speed across the docks towards Tikki waving his arm. When he was five feet away, Gabriel tripped and whatever he was holding flew from his hand and towards Chat Noir, who caught it in his cupped hands.

Those closest to him tried to get a good look at what it was, but they needn't have bothered, because he held it up so everyone could see what his father had brought. It was the very same ring that Gabriel had gifted to Adrien on his son's wedding day. The ring had sat in his pocket ever since and had only been found when Chat Noir gifted the suit to his father to do with as he pleased.

Gabriel stood up and walked the last five feet, "You forgot it."

"Thanks, Dad." Adrien smiled as he slipped the ring onto his finger.

It was almost as if a shudder went through the ship the moment it fell into place. Tikki was happy about something, and Marinette could feel it in her bones. Something had just changed forever and the most notorious pirate captain in the world couldn't find it in her to be upset that it was her new crew member that had caused it.

Smiling, Ladybug ordered the plank to be pulled up so that they could head out. There was no sense in worrying about it now. Whatever happened, would happen and they would deal with it as it came at them.

* * *

I honestly thought of the title for this chapter only after I finished it!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	27. The Harbor

This will be a Dylan/Lila chapter. Please don't skip it.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Dylan sighed impatiently as one of his generals tried to avoid answering his question. " _ **General**_ Adams, all I am asking is if you've heard of this so-called safe haven. Now answer the question."

"With all due respect sir, every sailor has heard of the Harbor."

"Now I will ask this only once. Have you ever been there?"

Lila watched the interaction with great interest, from her seat behind the Captain's desk, whatever this safe haven turned out to be it would certainly be worth looking into.

"No, sir. I personally have never been the Harbor." General Adams said, with a swallow.

"If you've never been there, then how do you know it exists?" Lila questioned before Dylan could get another useless question in.

"Ms. Lila, like I said before, every sailor knows of it."

"Yes, but how?"

"Many respectable ships have come back from voyages late, talking of horrors that I'll not go into with your ladyship present, and how just when things were looking their bleakest, an island would appear in the distance. They would speak of the people there calling their home the Harbor and helping those in need. The crews would talk of the Oath that everyone on board a ship would have to take before they were allowed on the island."

"Do you know anything about this oath, General Adams?" Lila batted her eyelashes sweetly, appearing to both men to be just a curious female asking ridiculous questions. Dylan was less annoyed when he remembered the fact.

"Of course! My very own brother once spoke of how he'd taken it. To put it simply, you swear on all that you hold dear that you will cause no trouble, and no blood will be spilled on the land. If bloodshed is inevitable, because of some disagreement or other, then it will be taken to the water." With a chuckle, the general continued, "It's even said that pirates would not dare break this oath! But I think my brother was just exaggerating at that point."

Lila adopted a look of mild shock, "That must be dreadful! The things those poor sailors must have been through! It's distressing just to think about it." Allowing her face to pale slightly, Lila said, "If you gentlemen will both excuse me, I think I need to go lie down for a moment."

As she left the room, Lila could see the gears turning in Dylan's head, planning how best to reach the Harbor. Lila was almost curious to see how far the man was willing to go. Mentally shrugging, Lila realized it didn't matter much. She would just have to keep him from getting everyone killed.

* * *

Yay! A second chapter before midnight! I don't know why I'm in such a writey mood today, but I'm happy!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	28. Red Lady

I have absolutely no idea where this came from.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Tikki could barely hold in her excitement. It had been so long since all seven were gathered and it was about time if she did say so herself. There was a tickling feeling near her head and she knew that Nathaniel was about to paint over her name so that she could safely rest in the harbor they were coming to. Sighing, Tikki relaxed and allowed herself to roll over the waves, there was nothing she could do to stop it after all.

Nathaniel held his hand steady as he carefully whited out the name _Tikki_ , with a handy temporary paint. Then he began the painstaking process of painting out the words **Red Lady** , which was the cover name Marinette had decided on for when they needed a cleaner way of making money for a few months. The port was a familiar one to them, that had often welcomed the Red Lady and her crew. It was always refreshing to go around a town without worrying about being chased out for being a pirate.

Running a hand through her distressed hair Marinette wanted to scream and ask someone else to make the decision for her. On the one hand, if she accepted agreed to the idea Alya had suggested a while ago, it would put most of her crew out of work for a good few months, but with Adrien, they might just find the other ships. However, on the other hand, if she didn't accept, then they would go on being the pirates of Tikki until one day she ended up captured or killed, Marinette was determined that nothing would ever happen to her family.

Hearing a shout from outside the captain of Tikki let out a relieved sigh, as her personal conundrums were put aside for the moment, and she could now focus on simpler things like, how many passengers to accept, and keeping said passengers from finding out that they're really on one of the most wanted pirate ships in the world.

The town of Rem was a rather prosperous port town that saw many tourists and travelers so ferry's like Red Lady, were common in taking people to and from the port. But the people of Rem rather enjoyed when the crew of Red Lady decided to ferry for awhile, because they were all so much fun.

* * *

This is so random, I'm completely confused.

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	29. Pain

Hey guys.

I'm really sorry. I swore to myself that this would be the story that never had one of these but I'm in so much pain right now because of a stupid tooth, and I'm going to the dentist tomorrow but I don't know if I'll be in any shape to write a chapter after that.

Hope you can forgive me for this unexpected hiatus. I really wanted to keep this story author note free, but things come up.

Sorry.


	30. Passengers

I'm not dying anymore!

Yay!

Again I'm really sorry that I couldn't update. But thank you to all of you lovely readers who were willing to wait this out without going completely insane!

As always I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Adrien was rather surprised to see how the crew of the Red Lady acted when they were a passenger ship. He had seen how they would all joke and work almost like a single person when left alone, and the terrifying pirates they could become, but seeing everyone being well behaved, polite, and even downright high-class charming was definitely a new one.

It was like they were all completely different people. Honestly, Adrien didn't know what he was supposed to be doing. Confused and disoriented, the newest member of the crew followed Nino, and the younger three, around so that he wouldn't get in anyone's way. The only time he ever really left their sides was when the Captain would randomly pair up passengers with members of her crew, herself included, to help, the often new sea goers, get their sea legs in order.

While it had only happened the first few days, and Adrien always ended up working with an elderly couple that had saved for years to take a trip like this, it had been a little, okay very, nerve-wracking to try and find ways to make the very nice couple comfortable.

But all in all, Adrien was having a blast on the mini cruise. He just knew that this was going to be the perfect trip.

.

.

.

That is, of course, where everything in the history of ever decided to prove him wrong.

* * *

Sorry, it's short, but I do have another chapter already in the works, so I hope to have it out within the next day if everything goes well. If not, then who knows what's gonna happen.

I honestly just kind of started writing with absolutely no idea where this was going.

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	31. Unfriendly Fire

Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are.

I honestly did not think that I would write this chapter so fast.

But here we are!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

The Red Lady had planned to take her passengers on a weeklong trip to their destination, then take whoever wasn't planning on moving to the end spot back to the port they had picked them up from. A two-week trip tops, simple, easy, and it got some extra money in their pockets. That _**had**_ been the plan.

Until a pirate ship that wasn't particularly _friendly_ showed up and caused them to veer off their intended course to avoid being captured and possibly turned into slaves.

Once the opposing ship had been spotted, Marinette had sent all of the passengers along with the four most inexperienced, Alya, and Nino down below decks, then began preparing the upper decks for battle.

So you could say that Captain Marinette was just a little stressed. But that didn't stop Marinette from taking stock of their situation and calling her friends and second in commands together. Turning to Alix and Kim, in charge of cannons, she asked, "What are our chances of getting out of this without shots being fired?"

"To keep up the pretense that we're just a humble passenger ship?"

"Exactly."

"Not good. In all likely hood, it would only cause us trouble to play it off as a passenger."

Marinette sighed, "I thought that would be your answer." Turning to Chloe, she added, "How about our chances of outrunning them?"

"Next to nothing. That type of ship is built for speed, we can't outrun it with how we're equipped now."

Before Marinette could say anything else, the reflection of the setting sun on the water caught her eye. Suddenly a plan began to form. Looking at her three friends she leaned in and spoke quietly.

"Make sure everyone is doing their best to keep us out of range, at least until midnight. After that have them slow us down a little bit at a time so that the ship doesn't get too suspicious. Have them do this until we're either well into range or dawn breaks. Then raise Ladybug's flag, and prepare to fire at them."

The three nodded and spread out slowly across the ship to inform the rest of the crew. While the preparations continued on in bleak silence, every now and then a sly smirk would make its way onto someone's face. Those pirates would never know what hit them.

* * *

Still rather short, but I like it!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	32. Preparations

I am really surprised that I've gotten into another one of these writing spurs again. But oh well!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

The night was quiet. Midnight had come and gone as the crew of the Red Lady were waiting patiently for the enemy to catch up. Marinette had set up a rotation of guard for the passengers. It had started with Alya and Nino who would then trade off with Chloe and Marinette in four hours, then they would trade with Kim and Alix.

It was just after four a.m. when Rose informed the Captain that the other ship was now within their striking range. "Alright Rose, raise the flag. I'm going to go talk to the passengers so that none of them get too freaked out."

Rose nodded and headed to grab the light red flag with embroidered black dots that were practically invisible from too far away.

As Marinette descended the steps, she was unsurprised to find that very few of her passengers were actually sleeping. They all turned to her almost immediately. "Captain? Is something wrong?" An older man asked.

"Not yet sir." Marinette responded, "But, as we are still being tailed by the mystery ship, it is possible that you will hear some cannon fire." At the frightened looks the passengers gave her, Marinette continued, "Please don't worry. My crew and I are very experienced in dealing with pirates."

"If you're so experienced then why do we have to hide down here with armed guards?"

"It would be ill-advised and dangerous to allow civilians on the upper decks when there is a very real threat. As for the guards, it is simply a precaution, think of it like a back up plan if we are boarded and someone manages to slip past us and get down here."

Since they still seemed nervous, Marinette sighed, "I know that you are all scared, but at the moment you have nothing to worry about, I suggest that you get some rest."

Turning to leave, she caught the eyes of Alix, and Kim, who nodded in understanding. They were to make sure that none of the passengers tried to do anything drastic.

With one more silent sigh, Marinette headed back up stairs. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

This will probably be out either Thursday or next Tuesday, because I'm writing this on a public library computer because my sister is gone for the week and at the moment she has the only charger for both of our computers and my laptop is almost dead. The reason for Thursday of Tuesday is because another charger has been ordered and will arrive on one of those days...Maybe?

But who knows? Maybe I'll have a couple chapters written out by then.

Sorry for the wait.

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	33. Suspicions

This took entirely too long to make and I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it to be so long, I just couldn't think of anything!

I hope you can forgive me!

I.O.N.!

Enjoy!

* * *

The moment the captain left, Ella, Etta, and Manon decided to help distract some of the more, shall we say, nervous passengers. Each headed toward the back in different ways. Manon just happened to be the one to stumble onto it. 'It' was a group of around five young adults surrounding an old man who appeared to be telling stories.

"I'm afraid to say that I've seen the after effects of things just like this. A typical trip, an overly happy crew, a _**woman**_ as the captain. Then all of a sudden a pirate ship 'appears' and it's just too fast, or powerful for a small boat like theirs to outrun. So they'll send all of the passengers down away from the fighting. Except there won't be any fighting. For one reason, the entire time the captains were in cahoots! Planning to enslave the passengers!"

Manon walked up to the group with her best innocent wide-eyed stare, "Wow mister. You don't think that's going to happen to us, do you?" The young adults seemed embarrassed and avoided looking at Manon so they wouldn't have to say anything, but the old man had no such restraints.

"Indeed I do, little missy. Ships like this are nothing but boats of lies and deception, waiting for the next gullible group to draw into its trap."

"What are you going to do mister? Those guards seem pretty scary."

"Ugh! One of them is a girl so a good scream would probably put her out of the fight and the boy looks like he'd get lost in a blanket."

By this point, Ella and Etta had noticed that Manon was completely absorbed in a conversation with the old man, as he subtly hyped up everyone around him for a fight. Ella went to grab Kim so that they would have some back-up.

"But mister, what about all of the ships that are captained by ladies?"

"No self-respecting lady would work on a ship!"

Manon was growing frustrated with the man. She had tried to calmly talk it out with him, but it just would happen. So she pulled out the trump card, "So you're saying that every female that works on a ship has no self-respect?"

"Of course!"

"Then what about... Ladybug?"

The entire area around them seemed to freeze. Everyone knew that it was bad luck to mention the pirate on any seafaring vessel. "And what about that old wives tale?"

Manon chose her words carefully, "Well, don't most people believe that-" at the worried glances everyone had she paused, "-that particular captain is a woman of some renown that would never work as a slaver?"

"Like I said, girl, it's an old wives tale that gets past down so ships boys don't go getting all upity." Taking a deep breath, proving that even the old man believed the legends even just a little, "Ladybug doesn't exist."

"If you say so, mister! After all, you're so much wiser than I am."

But what Manon hadn't realized is that one of the young men in the group was just a little smarter than the rest. He had noticed that she was entirely too comfortable saying Ladybug's name and that Manon was much smarter than she first appeared. Something was off, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

Again I am so sorry about how long this took!

And to top it all off, it wasn't even plot related!

I am a horrible author...

But I still hope you enjoyed!

See ya next time!


	34. Akuma

This is, hopefully, going to be a kind of fight chapter. I mean they're going to be fighting the other pirate ship. Don't know if I'll be able to write an action scene, guess we'll find out!

As always, I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Marinette stood facing the enemy. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

The pre-dawn light was hiding them from the other pirates, who were about to get the shock of their lives.

"The enemy is now in range Captain!" Nathaniel softly shouted.

In an instant, Marinette became the dreaded pirate captain Ladybug. "Well, they've chased us this long, it would be rude of us to ignore them!"

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

The slave ship Akuma was known throughout the slaving community as a ship willing to find slaves anywhere. Even other ships. Especially ferrying boats with lots of passengers. Wanted on every continent, they were notorious for hijacking smaller or less equipped vessels and killing anyone who even thought about fighting back.

As it would happen they were on their way back from a successful auction and were looking for more, when they spotted the red themed boat. Upon closer inspection, they were able to see that it was a ferry and only lightly armed, and most of the crew were teenagers and females. The crew of Akuma knew that this would be like hunting fish in a barrel.

Despite their best attempts, however, the Red ferry had managed to stay just out of range for many hours, until they had unexpectedly begun to slow. Had it been a better-outfitted boat the slave traders would have suspected a trick, but such a weak watercraft would be unlikely to try and fight the stronger ship.

With dawn approaching, the ferry was temporarily hidden in the glare of the sun. But their temporary shield wouldn't last forever. Within minutes they were close enough to shout at.

"Little ship surrender now and no one will be harmed!" The captain of Akuma shouted, then to his crew he said, "Get the cannon's ready just in case they try and fight, and prepare to board." They laughed as they complied with the command like that dinky ferry would try and fight back!

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Ladybug waited until Akuma was preparing its cannons. "FIRE!" She shouted and both cannons on that side fired at the slave ship. Her entire crew was waiting for the moment when the enemy would begin their counter-attack.

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Akuma's captain was furious. How dare, such a puny vessel try and attack them! "PREPARE TO BOARD! TAKE NO PRISONERS!" He snarled. The slave ship quickly descended upon the, seemingly innocent, ship.

They were expecting the crew of the red ship to quickly surrender. Not an armed and experienced pirate crew that was ready to fight back.

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

The fight for the Red Lady, better known as Tikki, was swift and decisive, the fight to take control of Akuma, however, was not.

They put up a valiant fight but in the end, the crew of Akuma was tied up and their ship captured.

Ladybug quickly retired to her cabin, changed her clothes and returned as Marinette. "The captain has requested her second in commands to converse with her on what to do with the newly obtained ship!" The pigtailed girl said loudly enough that the imprisoned pirates on the other ship could hear and see that she was in fact _**not**_ the captain of Tikki.

Her crew had seen an act like this multiple times, so none were really that surprised. Turning to Juleka, she whispered, "Go get Alix and Kim." with a small pause she added, "And Adrien if he's at the front if he isn't, don't worry about it."

The ruby-eyed girl nodded, "Aye aye Captain!" she whispered back with a small smile, before running to follow the order.

* * *

Well, this was interesting to write. Kind of strange to write the story from two points of view-ish hope I did a good job!

I am a horrible author, and can't update on even a semi-regular basis!

Sisab raluger-imes a neve no etadpu t'nac dna, rohtua elirroh a ma I!

Hope you enjoyed!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	35. What to do

I wrote this in one go at close to midnight, so I apologize in advance.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

The six experienced pirates and one new pirate in training puzzled over the problem of what to do with the captured slavers. Marinette had decided to stay out of the discussion until a half-way clear decision was made.

Chloe, Nino and, Kim were all in favor of finding a way to turn them in and collect the reward money. But, Alya, Alix and, Adrien all leaned towards the side of caution, worrying about the risks of exposing the Red Lady to guards and the military. Besides, Alya would say, don't you think it would sound just a little suspicious if a ship our size equipped as we are now, came in and said we were able to take down Akuma?

On that point, they all had to begrudgingly agree. Even to a novice like Adrien that just screamed suspicious. But as they argued, Chloe thought about what Alya had said. It would seem alarming and dubious if they were to say that the Red Lady had taken the Akuma, but on the other hand, if they said the opposite...

"I've got it!" Chloe shouted triumphantly, causing everyone to look at her. "Alya, you are absolutely right. If we told them that Red Lady had beaten the slave ship we would be called crazy and thrown in the loony bin. But, what if we told them the truth?"

"Chloe, that is the truth though. Red Lady was attacked and fought off, the slaving vessel Akuma. And you just said that that is completely unbelievable."

The bee-themed pirate laughed, "But she didn't!"

"I don't get it."

"That's the point, Adrien! We've overlooked the most obvious solution! What would you say if I told you that instead of Red Lady beating Akuma, it was Tikki that had done it? Would that sound more believable?"

"It would sound more convincing, but you seem to be forgetting that Tikki is even more wanted than Akuma."

By now, Kim had caught on to what Chloe was thinking and found it to be amazing. "Exactly. If an army that's even stronger than your enemy comes along to take the other side down, you wouldn't try and fight it. You'd say 'Thank you' and do whatever their leader said. So no one would think less of a ferry boat for not even trying to go up against Tikki."

Marinette stood up straighter and smiled, "Chloe you are a genius! With this, we get the reward money and no one thinks we are planning something nefarious with the Akuma pirates!"

Clearing her throat the young pirate captain attempted to regain some composure, "Would this plan satisfy all of you?"

"We would need to iron out a few more details, but other than that it seems like a solid plan."

"If it keeps us out of jail, and away from the noose, I'm all for it."

"It'll line our pockets a little better so why not?"

"I'm still pretty new to all of this piratey stuff but it seems fine."

Smiling once more Marinette put her hand on the table and looked at the other six, "Well then, I think we're all agreed."

But as they discussed, and debated, and argued over what they should do, no one noticed a young man sitting outside the door eavesdropping. And through this, he learned a great many incriminating things.

Now all he had to do, was decide what to do with it.

* * *

Nothing to say here.

Hope you enjoyed!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!


	36. Hunting the Red Lady

So I figure it's been a while since I did a Lila chapter and this sprung up! It's probably not the best, but I couldn't think of anything better, so here we are!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Lila sat with her back to the wall. Dylan's ship had been nearly destroyed when it had gotten caught in a storm, only by sheer luck were they able to survive it and limp towards this tiny little town. The repairs were going to take forever. _But at least_ , Lila thought as she sipped her drink, _he was kind enough to give me a small amount of money, and rent me a room_. That's when she noticed the despondent guard sitting at the bar.

She watched him for a good while until, finally, the bar tender's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "So Dave, why the long face?"

"You would not believe the day I've had Joe."

"Oo. Tough day at work?"

"Not according to anyone else."

"What happened?"

As they spoke Lila inched her way closer, this sounds like it could be a lead on Tikki, and even if it turned out to be a dead end, at least it would be entertaining.

"This morning a little ferry ship comes in, nothing too strange there, but then we find out that that little ship that looks like it could barely put up a fight, comes in towing the Akuma with all its crew tied up like a present!" Dave took a chug of his drink and continues, "Of course we were wary, who wouldn't be? But then the captain says possibly the most suspicious thing I have ever heard, she says, ' _We were on a regular route when they spotted us, we knew we couldn't run and we couldn't fight them off so we sent the passengers below decks and prepared to make our final stand. But just as the ship started their attack, the Tikki shows up and goes after them herself!_ ' It was ridiculous! And the worst part is, they believed her! So now we've got the slave ship under lock and key and its' crew locked up tight, but I couldn't help but feel that it was some kind of trick. Of course, all the other guards just laughed it off as me being the new guy."

"So some little boat gets the big prize for bringing in the slavers and they tell a hugely exaggerated story, it happens all the time, it's what sailors do! They probably found that ship stranded and took their chance. Who wouldn't want to spice it up a little? Add in a seemingly hopeless situation and a mythic ship and boom! You've got a great tale to tell your grandkids someday."

Lila was practically jumping in her seat. Even if it was just an exaggerated story, if she could find that boat, she might just get the lead she needed! Sidling up to the gossiping men Lila smiled, "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but hear your tale about the ship that brought in a pirate! It was just so exciting! You must be high up in the ranks to be able to work with all those nasty people." Lila shivered and looked suitably impressed.

Twenty minutes later she walked out, feeling like the fox that got the canary. The passenger ship called the Red Lady, now Lila just had to hope that her luck hadn't run out, and they were still in port.

* * *

So this was my, most likely, poorly done chapter! Hope you enjoyed!

Also, TWO CHAPTERS IN TWO DAYS! Yes!

Comment what you thought!

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	37. Trouble brewing

I wrote this instead of sleeping, so I hope you all are happy!

Nah, I love you guys too much to stay mad.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Marinette was relaxing on the deck, enjoying one of the rare moments of peace that came with telling the passengers that they wouldn't be sailing out for a few days because of everything that needed to be resupplied. So the tourists were out having a fun few days in a new town and her crew were relaxing for the night, preparing for tomorrow when the hard work would begin.

When all of a sudden, Nino and Adrien came running up the plank, looking like they'd just seen a ghost. "She's here!" Adrien gasped as the two boys tried to regain their breathing. And Marinette most definitely _**did not**_ get distracted by how cute Adrien could look when he was out of breath.

"Who's here?"

"LILA!"

It took a moment, but then the captain remembered the spurned bride-to-be. "Okay, so why are you two freaking out?"

"Because she's looking for the Red Lady!"

"Well, that's not good."

"What do we do!?"

Normally, Marinette would have teased Nino for being so freaked out and panicked, but someone with a score to settle could be dangerous, no matter how sweet they looked. So she took charge of the situation. "Well, the two of you can't be seen obviously, so go hide in my cabin until she's gone, and let me worry about the rest."

It was times like this that Nino was glad Marinette rarely appeared to panic, as he and Adrien sat against the door of her personal cabin.

Lila was walking through the harbor looking for the ship that had been described by the guard, and a smaller ship at the end of the wharf looked promising. Unfortunately for her, Dylan had seen her walking about and intercepted her.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay at the inn."

Biting back a retort Lila smiled up at him, "But it was getting stuffy in there so I decided to go for a little stroll." Batting her eyelashes she continued, "I must have gotten lost."

The lie was paper thin and see-through, she was there to be a tracker for Peace's sake! But Dylan seemed to buy it. "I will escort you back, but please, for your own protection, just stay in your room."

"Of course, and thank you for offering to escort me." Turning back the way she'd come, Lila thought quickly, hoping to enthrall him with Tikki, "Lord Dylan you would never believe the horrifying story I overheard while on my walk."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Well, I was walking down a lovely little lane when I passed a stall and the merchant was telling his customer about a strange occurrence that had happened earlier today. So apparently some little cruise ship came in towing a much larger pirate ship, and when questioned, the captain of the ferry said that they hadn't been the ones to subdue the pirates but that the pirate Ladybug and her crew had! It was quite a scare to me as you can imagine."

Dylan, who hadn't really been paying attention to her prattling was suddenly much more alert, "Did you say Ladybug?"

"Yes, and it was terrifying! Imagine! I go for a leisurely walk and am struck with that sort of news!"

"Did you happen to overhear what the name of the cruise ship was called? It could be a lead."

"Hm, I don't know, it was Red something, but like I said, I had only heard it in passing." As she spoke, Lila saw Dylan's eyes scan the dock and apparently find something that excited him.

"I apologize miss Lila, but it seems that your room will have to wait a few minutes. I think I just spotted the very ship you were talking about. I must talk to their captain."

"Of course! That is why we're here, isn't it? To find leads on Tikki? So by all means my Lord! Lead the way!" And to her delight, Dylan began heading straight towards the boat she herself had singled out.

Marinette looked quietly over the harbor, on the lookout for the angry bride. But what she saw made her blood run cold. Lila was indeed walking right towards the Red Lady, hand in hand with Dylan.

Ducking down as quickly as possible, Marinette hid.

* * *

Well, that was interesting! I hope...

Comment what you thought!

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	38. Fox Vs Bee

This is probably going to be a shorter chapter because it's almost midnight and I'm tired.

But I hope you enjoy!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Lila barely contained her pleasure, she was about to get a lead! Once they reached the desired ship, Dylan called out to anyone that may be there, "Hello! Is anyone there?" When no one answered, they assumed no one was around and began to board. They had barely set foot on the ship when a voice sounded behind them.

"What exactly do you two think you're doing?"

The two well-bred yet sneaky young adults whipped around to see who had spoken. Lila eyed the girl who now stood in front of her. Blonde hair up in a pony-tail and blue eyes narrowed, the newcomer exuded an air of someone who was often in charge.

"And who might you be?" Lila pointily asked.

"I'm the captain of this particular passenger ship. Now, why are on sneaking on to my boat?"

Dylan smiled silkily at the blonde girl, "I was actually hoping to speak with you miss...?"

"You can just call me Captain." The ship's captain responded tightly, "I'll ask again, why are you on my boat?"

"I had heard a rumor that your ship had had a brush with a particularly notorious pirate ship."

"And if we had?"

"Well, it just so happens that I am looking for that same ship, Captain."

The woman smirked as if she were toying with them. Lila glared at her. The blonde leaned in as she spoke, " _ **Everything**_ is _always_ Ladybug. She's either saving the day or ruining it. Now, get. Off. My. Ship."

Thoroughly beaten, the two left with their ears down and their tails between their legs. But Lila wasn't finished, far from it. That captain was hiding something and Lila was going to find out what.

* * *

Well, that was two hundred-odd words. Maybe I'll write a longer chapter tomorrow, or maybe not, I don't really know.

Hope you enjoyed!

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	39. Planning

I love doing this! You know, I kind of expected my writing to slow down even more since school has started back up, but I got out two chapters before it started and this will be the third since I've been back to school. I feel like this is somehow the opposite of what should be happening, but I don't really care.

Enough of the mushy/ranty stuff.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chloe watched the two leave, making sure that neither tried to sneak back around. When she was satisfied that they were gone, the sharp-tongued blonde sighed and walked up the plank and called out softly, "Marinette, you can come out now, they're gone."

Marinette stood up slowly from where she'd hidden, and Adrien and Nino walked out from her cabin.

Adrien was shocked to see Marinette so shaken, they hadn't been able to hear much, but it was obvious that she hadn't been the one to talk to Lila.

"What happened?"

"Dylan."

Nino hissed at the name, "We've got to leave."

Marinette sighed shakily, "Nino, we can't exactly just pick up and leave. We've got passengers who are counting on us."

The turtle themed pirate paced up and down the length of the ship, "Well we can't stay here! If that ba- jerk is here and looking for the Red Lady then he'll be back, especially if Lila's with him."

Chloe glared at her adoptive brother, "Then what do you suggest we do? It's not like Tikki can just show up and destroy us."

Her words gave Nino an idea, "But what if she could?"

"Then it would solve the problem, but you seem to be forgetting one crucial thing: This is Tikki!"

Nino laughed, giddy off of his idea. "I know how to get away with it!"

By now even Marinette had calmed down enough to be interested, "How?"

He motioned for all of them to come closer, "Okay, so here's how we do it."

* * *

I love cliffhangers, don't you?

Hope you enjoyed!

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	40. Bye-bye Red Lady

So I know it's been a while. Sorry.

But also: YAY! This story is even longer than Miraculous Spies! And it's not even a year old!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

It had been a week since the encounter with the Red Lady's captain, and Lila was fuming. Since that day, Dylan had been extremely insistent that she not wander back into the docks. So she had spent the following days fuming around town as Dylan and two of the sailors followed her around.

The townspeople had quickly realized that the pretty girl with fancy clothes was not to be bothered unless she started the conversation first. So everyone was shocked when a young man went barreling into her. It seemed that everyone in the area held their breath as the teen picked himself up. "Sorry about that ma'am."

Lila restrained herself from tearing the male in front of her to shreds when his voice triggered something familiar in her brain. "Do I know you?"

Nino laughed at how angry the girl was getting, "I should hope so, I mean I know you don't often leave your high horse, but I've only spent the last five winters in your town. And am best friends with the guy you were going to marry."

"Nino."

"Lila."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were some kind of wandering beggar."

"Now that just hurts."

"Ugh! You're as insufferable as always!"

"I do try."

Before their argument could continue, a shout rang out from the harbor, "Someone set a boat on fire!"

Everyone in the area rushed towards the docks, some hoping to put out the fire before it could spread to the other ships, others wanting to make sure it wasn't theirs.

Elbowing her way to the front of the crowd, Lila's heart plummeted. The boat that had been set aflame was the Red Lady. It was obvious that someone had been planning this because the ship went up like a matchbox. As the crowd watched in stupefied horror at what they were witnessing, a very familiar ship was sailing into view.

Dylan, who had managed to find his way to the front, was the first to see. "Pirates!" he shouted, causing quite a few people to run back to their homes and prepare for the worst. Some, however, started jumping into the water and swimming after the red ship. Even Nino, Lila realized with a start. But when Dylan looked like he was about to join in, the clever young woman grabbed his arm and got the two sailors to help her drag him back towards the inn.

"You are not going to throw yourself at those pirates, just so you can get your head blown off! Think like the captain you are." Lila would later say to end the argument between the two over how much right she had to stop him from doing as he wished.

"I wouldn't have gotten my head blown off."

"It's been over five hours since the ones that swam towards Tikki have been seen. I think it's safe to say that they're not coming back."

"Well, it was still the closest we've gotten to a lead on them!"

"A brash captain will throw himself at every fight with no plan. A wise captain will plan ahead and lets others weaken his enemies. Are you brash or wise?"

Scoffing, Dylan skulked out of the room trying to preserve what pride he had left. Nothing on his mind except finding a way to prove that insufferable woman wrong.

Lila huffed as she sat on the bed, and began to seriously question why she had thought it would be a good idea to help Dylan out. He was infuriating.

In his fury, Dylan missed the smirking young man who stood in the shadows, watching. It seems he had found the perfect people to sell his knowledge to. Now he just had to introduce himself.

Meanwhile, the people that had gone after the notorious pirate ship were sitting in the mess hall enjoying the feeling of getting away from what could have quickly turned into a very dangerous situation. The Captain and her five, and Adrien, first mates were laughing and joking with the rest of her crew, putting from their minds problems and thoughts of danger.

That could wait until tomorrow.

* * *

Comment what you thought!

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	41. Deal?

I hope this chapter means I'm getting back onto some kind of track!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Lila glared at Dylan from across the table. It had been two days since the Red Lady had been destroyed and they were both still very angry with each other. So imagine their surprise when early that morning each received a letter, seemingly from the other, saying how sorry they were and how they wanted to apologize in person.

The glaring had started when both stated they were waiting for an apology. Only sheer stubbornness kept either from leaving. It had been nearly an hour, and neither showed signs of letting up, when the door opened for the third time and both jumped to their feet. "You two are almost sad you know that?"

"Who are you?" Dylan demanded.

The mysterious man continued as if he hadn't at all, "I mean like really really sad. Sitting here for an hour just glaring at each other, if that's not the most pathetic thing ever then I don't know what is."

"Yes. Very pathetic. Almost as pathetic as barging in on a lady's private conversation, without so much as an introduction."

The intruder took the third seat at the table and motioned for them both to join him, "Of course! Where are my manners? , Lord Dylan, you may call me Charter. And I am here to sell you some very valuable information."

Dylan's interest was immediately piqued, curious to see what the young man could offer. Lila, on the other hand, was suspicious, "What kind of information?"

"If I was going to just tell it to you it wouldn't be a sale, now would it?"

"How can we trust you won't take our money and give us something useless in return?"

"You are a cautious one aren't you? I can respect that. But I assure you that once you hear the nature of the information you will be just as excited as your partner."

Tired of the back and forth Dylan spoke up, "So what kind of information are we talking about here?"

Charter smirked, "The Tikki kind of course."

"Really? What do you know?!"

"Dylan, hold on a second."

"Why?! We can finally get a real lead!"

Lila ignored Dylan.

"What kind of price are you looking at for this?"

"I promise you money is no problem for me," Dylan said, still trying to get the information, "just name your price."

"As tempting as that is, I am not after money. I guess 'sale' is a little misleading. It would be more of a trade. You give me a valuable piece of your information, and I give you the information you desperately want to know."

Charter looked at both of them, "Do we have a deal?"

* * *

I love cliffhangers, don't you?

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	42. A Decision Must Be Made

I don't think a whole lot is going to happen this chapter. But who knows?

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Dylan was already reaching for Charter's hand when Lila spoke up, "Before we agree to anything, what kind of information are you expecting from us?"

"Oh, nothing much."

By now even Dylan was starting to see where Lila's hesitance was coming from. "I think we should be the ones to decide if the information is too much or not. What would you even do with it?"

"You could say that I am a collector of sorts. I find bits of information and trade them for other bits." Charter smirked, "Of course if you aren't willing to part with the things I am asking for, then I'm sure I can find someone who would."

"Can we have some time to think about it?"

"Take all the time you want, but please understand. Once I leave this room, the offer is off the table."

* * *

The entire crew waited anxiously for Marinette to decide on what to do next. Though anxious was probably the wrong word to use, it was more of a concerned boredom. She hadn't steered them wrong yet.

Marinette was sat behind her desk, planning their next move. While everyone would be needing money sooner or later, they also desperately needed a break. If Alya was right, and it was time to try for another search, then it could help them out tremendously. But as always, there was the chance that they would come back empty-handed after searching for months and being forced to work twice as hard just to stay alive.

Trying to rid herself of her budding headache, Marinette stood up and began to pace. It seemed that no matter what she decided to do there was just as valid a reason not to. If they kept doing what they were doing, they could gather the money they needed, but her crew would be exhausted and eventually need just as long a break if not longer. It felt like there was no winning.

With an exhausted sigh, she sat down once again and pulled out her designing journal. Hoping all of her frustrations would give her a few ideas. Turns out, all of the conflicting emotions rolling around in Marinette's head produced a lot of ideas. She was in the middle of creating a captain's hat for Paon when someone knocked on her door. With a distracted, "Come in!" from Marinette, still locked in inspiration, Adrien entered the most feared pirate captain's quarters, bearing gifts of hot chocolate and food.

"Hey, Captain."

Marinette snapped to attention, a blush rising to her cheeks at being caught with her journal. "A-Adrien! What's going on? W-why are you here?"

The young cat laughed, "You've been locked in this cabin all day. I thought you could use some food."

Her blush deepened when her stomach growled in appreciation of food. "T-thanks."

"No problem M'lady."

* * *

I had to add that last bit. I really did.

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	43. A Bet is Made

So I'm pretty sure this one is going to be really short. Sorry in advance.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

The entire crew watched as Adrien entered their captain's cabin. Once they heard the door swing shut, Chloe turned to the rest of the crew and said, "So who wants to start the bet?" Everyone else smiled and pulled out some of the few coins they each had left.

"I got five on it happening sometime next month!"

"Three for their one year anniversary!"

"I'm with Rose on the anniversary! I'll add four."

And so it went until all the times had been placed and the money collected. As a matter of principle, only one person was ever allowed to know where the stash was hidden, after it had been thoroughly counted of course. To keep it fair, the person changed every time a new bet was made. This time it was Sabrina who was in charge of making the collection of coins disappear.

They all knew it was wrong to bet on the love life of their captain, or to bet in general, but the bets were never made to belittle their captain. The light gambling was the only thing besides Story Night that kept them all from going completely crazy. It was all done in fun. Plus if one of them ended up being right, then, well they get a little extra pocket money for the trouble.

Besides tomorrow night was a full moon.

* * *

Yep. I was right. Really short.

But on the bright side: Story Night is making a reappearance!

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	44. Story Night

Welcome back to the Story Within A Story! Muhahahahaha!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

The hours seemed to pass at a turtle's pace, yet at the same time the day flew by. Chores were done with a sort of impatientness that only came to the crew once a month. By the time the sun had begun to set, Adrien felt like he had smiled more in that one day than he had in the months leading up to his wedding.

Many times throughout the day other members of the crew would tell their newest member how much better he was getting at the chores he had been assigned. For the first time, it really felt like Adrien could actually be a part of the crew and not just dead weight.

Eventually, the sun had set, and the moon was rising. Dinner was served in a rush as people raced to be the first to their seats for Story Night.

Once everyone had gathered below decks, ready to finish the tale that had begun one month ago. Their eyes drifted naturally to Marinette who was sitting in the storyteller's spot, right in front of Ella, Etta, and Manon. "Hm, now what story would you three like to here tonight?" She asked playfully.

"We want to finish the Flying Ladybug!" The three young pirates chanted.

The captain laughed, "Oh really? But I thought you three hated hearing the same story twice in a row."

"You didn't finish last time." Ella said, glaring a Marinette a little.

"We want to know what happens!" Manon added, throwing in a stony stare at her captain.

"So, finish the story." Etta finished, leaving no room for argument.

"Alright. Alright. We'll finish the Flying Ladybug!" Marinette smiled, "Now where did I leave off..."

"The Ladybug with no memory had just decided to sneak out and find the ship!"

"Ah. Thank you my dears." Marinette cleared her throat, allowed the lights to dim once again, and began.

 _"... With a smile, Marinette headed out into the hall and into Celeste's waiting escorting arms."_

* * *

So the next few chapters will probably be focused on finishing up this little story.

Hope you enjoyed!

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	45. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 8)

This is back!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Marinette's day was so full of wedding preparations, dress fittings, and crash courses in nobility that by the time evening had come, she was tired enough to sleep for a week. But she had work to do. With a quiet groan, Marinette picked herself up off of the bed and dressed in the plainest, darkest clothes she could find._

 _Under the cover of night, Marinette snuck down to the beach. It didn't take her long to find the, now docked, boat._

 _Before she could even approach it, however, a voice appeared from behind her, "Well now, ain't it a bit late for such a pretty young lass to be wandering the beach on her own?" Despite herself, Marinette jumped. Turning around, she found that the voice belonged to an old man, with kind eyes and an easy smile._

 _"Not if she's looking for sailors." Marinette replied with a smile._

 _The old man laughed, "Well I can't argue with that. Why would you happen to be looking for sailors, young miss?"_

 _"I was actually hoping you might be able to tell me some stories."_

 _"Any sailor can tell a story. But I get the feeling you're looking for one in particular."_

 _"And if I am?"_

 _For a time, the old man stood in silence thinking over the decision he was about to make. Marinette waited patiently the entire time, hoping he could help her. Finally, he sighed and spoke, "Then I'd invite onto my ship and ask you what you were looking for."_

 _With a smile, Marinette followed the kind captain onto his boat._

* * *

I know, shorter than short and it took forever to publish. Feel free to leave your rage and hatred here!

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	46. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 9)

I wrote this instead of sleeping. I hope you're happy. Probably going to be lots of dialogue in this chapter so be warned.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Sitting quietly, Marinette waited for the sailor to finish making his tea, before starting. The man sat down slowly and took a sip of his tea, before speaking, "So what are you looking for?"_

 _Marinette sighed and stared into her cup trying to find the words, "I'm looking for answers." She raised her head and looked into his eyes, "What can you tell me about Ladybug and Tikki?"_

 _If he had had anything in his mouth it would have been forcefully expelled at her question. As it was, he recoiled slightly and looked around to make sure no specters had appeared. "Miss, you might want to be careful. To most sailing folks even mentioning those names is bad luck and almost enough to cancel a voyage. They fear it'll summon them like they're some kind of demon."_

 _"So you can't tell me about them?" Marinette asked sadly._

 _"Many would say that they wouldn't dare." The kind captain smiled mischievously, "But you're in luck because I believe that telling stories makes everyone just a little bit greater. So I'm gonna tell you what I know."_

 _"Thank you."_

 _He heaved a deep sigh, "You may want to hold off on that thanks, little miss. Ladybug and Tikki are quite the pair. Lots of stories about them, but very few solid facts. Some say that Tikki is a ship larger than life with a crew of over ten thousand terrifying pirates and that Ladybug is a giant of a man that'll kill you as soon as look at ya. Others say that Tikki is barely bigger than my own Lavender here, and that Ladybug is a vigilante, bringing her own brand of justice to the seas. There are even those that think Ladybug isn't a human but some kind of angel or demon depending, and Tikki is just their mode of transport."_

 _"What do you believe?"_

 _Lavender's captain huffed, "I believe that they're just a normal captain and boat that enjoy causing a bit of mischief."_

 _Marinette looked past her new friend towards the little window that showed the open ocean, something about these stories seemed familiar, "Is there anything that the stories can agree on?"_

 _"Very little. Though most agree that, if it's convenient for them, the crew of Ladybug will help out smaller ships. They're also pretty quiet in the years when farming and trading are tough."_

 _The two talked for a while longer, Marinette asking questions and him answering to the best of his ability. Tea was drunk and refilled many times, and as they spoke, bits and pieces of conversation would stick out to her, never enough to trigger a memory, but always a sense of deja vu. Before long it was close to dawn and Marinette had to go, lest she be discovered missing._

 _"I hope this helped you, missy."_

 _"I think it did. At the very least it gave me a lot to chew on." Marinette waved goodbye to her friend, but before she began the trek back she had one more question, "We've spent hours talking, and I've never once asked your name. What do they call you?"_

 _"If you must call me something, call me Carapace."_

 _"Well, goodbye Captain Carapace and may wind always fill your sails and the waves see you smoothly to your destination." Marinette had no idea what had caused her to say that, but it felt right, so with a smile and another wave, she headed off._

 _Once she was a good distance away did Carapace softly reply, "And may fortune and glory always dog your heels, Captain Ladybug."_

* * *

Still short, but better, right?

Hope you enjoyed!

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	47. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 10)

This is, hopefully, a longer chapter!

Wish me luck!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Slipping softly into the bed, Marinette was able to rest easy for ten minutes before Celeste and the others came in to prepare her for the day. "Oh aren't you excited, Marinette!"_

 _Rubbing the last of her tiredness away Marinette asked, "Excited about what?"_

 _"Why tomorrow is the practice wedding! And then the day after, you'll be married!"_

 _Managing a small smile, Marinette nodded, though her stomach felt like it was being tied in knots. "Doesn't this seem a bit... sudden to you?" She asked her new friend nervously._

 _Celeste sighed, "Lord Dylan has never been of the idle variety. Once he decides he likes something, he'll stop at almost nothing to get it."_

 _"Oh."_

 _"But don't take that to mean that he only sees you as something to be owned! I'm sure that he really does love you!"_

 _"I'm sure you're right... Hey Celeste?"_

 _"Yes, dear?"_

 _"If this is really the best choice for me, why does it feel like my insides are getting tossed around by the ocean?"_

 _Celeste smiled, glad that they were moving towards a topic she could handle, "That's the pre-wedding jitters kicking in there. Once you start walking down that aisle in two days, your stomach will settle right down!"_

 _Marinette gave the older woman a kind smile, "Yeah. That's probably what it is. I'm just nervous." Celeste's grin got just a bit brighter at the sight. With a pat on the young woman's head, Celeste once again began preparing Marinette for the busy day._

 _Their first stop was the kitchens to taste test the menu and make sure everything would be perfect. Then another quick class in which nobility would be showing up, why, how important they were, and what she should do with each of them. All in all, it was a rather boring two hours. Then, unfortunately, it was time for Marinette's least favorite part of the entire day, the final wedding dress fitting._

 _With so many varying and contrasting shades of orange that would make even the very fruit hate itself, an obscene amount of lace, frills, and pearls, enough layers in the skirt to clothe an entire village, shoes that felt like death traps, and a corset tied tight enough to border assault. And that was all before jewelry and makeup got involved. Marinette absolutely hated her wedding dress._

 _After the dress had first been shown to her, Marinette had politely, but insistently, asked to be the one to choose her own wedding dress. Dylan had laughed and told her that the dress had been hand-picked by him with her in mind. So with difficulty the bride to be, bit her tongue and said no more on the matter. To him at least, Celeste, on the other hand, had heard her mumbling the different complaints she had with the dress under her breath. It was in these moments that a stray curse, or twenty, would fly out of the agitated girl's mouth. Curses that many would assume no polite lady would ever know about, let alone speak._

 _While others would have seen this as troublesome or slightly nervewracking. Celeste saw it as Marinette discovering bits and pieces of herself all over again, like how she apparently had an eye for fashion, preferred simpler styles in dresses, and could apparently curse like a sailor. Anyone within a three-mile radius of that dress could tell that it didn't suit Marinette and that she detested it with every fiber of her being, except for Dylan of course._

 _Despite all of that, however, Celeste could also see that Marinette and her lord were not compatible. Of course, she had no actual proof, on the surface, both appeared to be a nearly perfect match. After all, they both well mannered, polite, Dylan fit the gentleman roll to a T, while Marinette was a picture of beauty. But sometimes, the older woman would catch a glimpse of who the polite yet quiet girl use to be. The young woman that she saw in those moments was much more sure of herself, and something told Celeste that who Marinette was before she'd lost her memories, would've had no reservations about dueling it out with Lord Dylan._

 _It would be interesting to see how the wedding would play out._

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Over 700 words! YES!

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	48. Strike A Deal

I'm writing this instead of sleeping. So no guarantees on quality!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Dylan thought of all the information he had on Tikki and its captain. Despite his fervent searching, it was pitifully sparse. With only had rumors and half-baked leads to go on, he was becoming increasingly desperate. He would be willing to trade anything for just one solid clue.

Lila thought of the revenge she would enact on Ladybug. Even though she wouldn't trust the strange man who sat in front of her if an entire town vouched for him. Something told her he wasn't lying when he said he knew something important.

Charter looked at both of them and knew they'd take his offer. They were too desperate not to. He just had to wait until they cracked.

Minutes ticked by and slowly turned to hours. Surprisingly, it was Lila who chose to break the silence. "I agree to give you whatever information you ask for, in order to take down Ladybug."

"I also agree."

With a bright mischevious smile, Charter held out his hands, "Well then, let's shake on it!"

Tentatively, they both took one of his hands. Suddenly, it was like a wave was crashing down on them. They struggled for breath and to keep their grip on the only solid thing either could still feel, Charter's unshaking hands. The waves seemed to continue for hours, with no respite, at some point both lost consciousness. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

Charter released their hands and Lila, and Dylan sat up gasping. Neither was really sure when they had collapsed, but both were ecstatic for that nightmare to be over. After a few minutes, in which both just sat on the floor calming themselves down. Distantly they heard the mysterious man say, "Now that wasn't too terrible, was it!"

Once he was sure they were fairly stable and weren't going to faint again, Charter pulled out two rolls of paper. "If you can decipher those, you'll find exactly what you are looking for," Charter said as he walked towards the door. Before he left he also called out, "Oh! And thanks for the information!" Then he was gone as quickly as he had appeared.

"...What just happened?"

"I honestly have no idea..."

* * *

This is short, but I'm tired.

Also: Two chapters in less than five hours!

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	49. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 11)

Here we go again!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _That night, when Marinette left to meet Carapace, she found him talking to a young man. They appeared to be having a very serious conversation, and she almost turned around and headed back, when the older captain saw her and began walking the younger man over towards her._

 _With no way to leave without looking rude or terrified, Marinette stood her ground and waited for the approaching sailors to reach her. "Shouldn't a pretty girl like you be just slightly worried about two strange sailors coming towards them on a dark night like this?"_

 _With a light-hearted laugh, Marinette answered, "Dark night? There's an almost full moon out!"_

 _"So, missy, have you come to hear more stories about Ladybug and Tikki?"_

 _"If you don't mind spending a few hours answering questions." Then Marinette looked at the young man who had yet to speak, "And as long as I'm not interrupting any business of yours, Captain."_

 _The old man laughed, a deep and hearty laugh, "This boy here could tell you more stories about Ladybug than anyone else I've met!" Shoving the boy forwards, Carapace continued, "Go on then kid! Introduce yourself!"_

 _With a slight stumble and glare at the other man, the younger man bowed slightly to her and said, "Good-evening ma'am. My name is Kim."_

 _And that was the last thing Marinette heard before her world went black._

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Much shorter than last time, sorry.

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	50. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 12)

Happy official 50th chapter!

This is by far the longest story I have ever written. I am so thankful for everyone who has taken the time out of their day to read my story. Mini-rants and sob stories aside, reading the comments that you all leave for me, are honestly some of the highest points of my day.

So, thank you.

This story would not have gotten this far without you.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Sighing Marinette opened her eyes, and stared at the girl in the mirror in front of her. To most, the girl staring back would be seen as a beautiful young woman, being prepared for what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Instead, Marinette saw someone with no memory of her past, or possibly a family that you never know what had happened to her, being led through the steps of a marriage she really had no passion for._

 _Grabbing a small section of her dress, Marinette noted that it was, at least, of the finest quality fabric she had ever felt. As if that could make up for the hideous designs and colors and the overall eye destroying style of the dress._

 _The bride-to-be turned her head to stare out the only large open window that was in the room and thought back to the previous night. She had snuck out to hear more stories of Ladybug when Carapace had introduced her to a young man who called himself Kim. After that, it got a bit fuzzy for her._

 _She had half-remembered dreams of being a child with him and four others playing hide-and-go-seek on a boat, a slightly older version of herself picking up a sewing needle for the first time and creating fun little masks for the six of them. Marinette would almost believe they were memories, except for the fact that she also half-remembered being a fairy princess and dancing across the ocean as it rained chocolate. So she didn't put much stock in it._

 _Marinette was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice that she wasn't alone anymore until a female voice spoke from behind her. "That is just hideous! I've never seen a dress that ugly before in my life! Mari, why on_ _ **EARTH**_ _did you allow them to put you in such an offending dress?! Orange isn't even your color!"_

* * *

Well, that's a thing that happened.

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	51. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 13)

I'm really gonna try and make this the last part of this little mini story.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

 _Marinette spun around to see a young woman around her age with blonde hair held in a high ponytail, and striking blue eyes._

 _But the most notable thing about the other girl was her outfit. A long faded yellow shirt flowing free and untucked from a pair of black pants, small heeled black and yellow boots, with a long yellow coat striped with zig-zagging black lines, black gloves, a pretty comb shaped like a bee, and a yellow and black mask, gave the unmistakable impression of a pirate._

 _The intruder was smiling at her while also managing to look extremely offended at the sight of her wedding dress. Then the unknown pirate continued to speak, "Please tell me_ _ **you**_ _weren't the one to pick out that dress."_

 _And despite herself, Marinette scoffed and replied, "If I'd had any say in picking this dress, trust me, it wouldn't have been_ _this_ _. Now, who are you?"_

 _"For now you can call me Queen Bee." The girl said, "And I'm here to help you get out of that dress, this disaster of a wedding, and get your memories back."_

 _Marinette knew that she should be afraid of what was happening, knew she should scream for a guard or someone to capture the most likely wanted pirate. So, of course, she said, "How can I help?"_

 _Queen Bee smirked and handed her a small jewelry box, which contained two polka-dotted earrings, "You can start by putting those on."_

 _Replacing the giant ugly earrings that went with the dress with the tiny ladybug themed ones seemed so right and so familiar for some reason. And while she had been focusing on putting the earrings on, two more young women appeared in the room._

 _One was dressed in a neat dark blue shirt, a light pair of lighter blue pants that only went to her knees, black ankle boots, a long coat that looked like it was once a rich royal blue, but has since been splattered with other blues, purples, and even pinks, the peacock brooch that sat proudly on the coat, and the dark blue mask which seemed to complete the ensemble. It even managed to go with the shorter girl's bright pink hair._

 _The other girl was dressed much differently. The white shirt seemed to shimmer and shift around as if it couldn't decide what color it wanted to be. In fact, Marinette noted, the pirate's entire outfit seemed to have that effect. Black pants, boots, and gloves, an orange, and white mask and a short orange jacket. But the centerpiece was definitely the fox-tailed necklace that laid at her throat._

 _Marinette also noted that the peacock pirate was holding a bundle of clothes. "Okay, so who are they?"_

 _"They are Paon and Rena Rouge. And they're also here to help."_

 _Paon threw the bundle at Marinette and smiled, "So go change into these and we'll do the rest."_

 _When the soon to be former blushing-bride-to-be came back, she saw the entire room in chaos._

So this isn't the end.

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	52. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 14)

Happy HALLOWEEN!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _It was a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding. The sky was blue, the sun was bright, and not a cloud could be seen. Dylan had long ago decided that he wanted his wedding to be on one of the small cliffs overlooking the sea. His bride would come walking towards him, in a dress of his choosing, and they would bind their lives together forever. In just a few short minutes all of it would become a reality._

 _The guests had already begun to seat themselves when a terrible scream pierced through the air. Everyone froze as the terrified screech was cut off as quickly as it had begun. Dylan immediately sent servants and guards towards his bride's room, where the sound had come from. After he told his guests to stay where they were, Dylan also headed in the same direction_

 _When they arrived at the entrance to Marinette's room, all they could do was stare. They didn't even have to open the door to see the carnage, mostly because the door appeared to have been ripped from its' hinges. The room was a war zone. Nothing was unscathed, mirrors were shattered, the bed had been overturned, even the pillows had been ripped up and destroyed. It almost looked like a murder had taken place, except that there was no blood and no corpse. In fact, there was no one in the room at all. Marinette was gone._

 _The enraged groom demanded that every inch of the house be searched for his bride. So search they did, not a room or closet went overlooked. But still Marinette, and subsequently, the people who had kidnapped her remained missing._

 _Finally, after two hours, Dylan ordered everyone back to where the wedding was going to take place before this had all started. When they got there, however, they saw a quite remarkable sight. All of the nobles and rich snobs that had been invited were tied up and held at sword point by Rena Rouge, and Dylan could see Marinette struggling from where she was being forcefully held by Ladybug. The cruel and ruthless pirate smiled when she saw Dylan had returned._

 _"Well now that everyone is here, I think we should begin. Don't you?"_

* * *

That's a thing that happened.

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	53. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 15)

Happy late HALLOWEEN everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your night of free candy!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _"Release her you fiend!" Dylan shouted as he charged forward, but Ladybug pulled out her own sword and placed it at Marinette's throat. He had no choice but to freeze._

 _"Now I would hate to turn this celebration into a funeral, so why don't you just put that sword on the ground so you're not tempted to try anything,_ **Lord Dylan.** _"_

 _Through gritted teeth, Dylan spat, "What do you want?"_

 _Rena Rouge laughed, "Funny you should ask because our friend Paon is up at your fancy house taking whatever she wants. And I'm sure that she'll be back any minute with a nice sack of loot."_

 _"You're no better than any other common thief!" Dylan snarled. The noblemen tried to take up a stand, but the fox themed pirate waved her sword threateningly and their courage shriveled up._

 _They all stood in a tense silence for some time. Until one of the noblewomen who had been placed in the back let out a shriek, "THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!" But even as she said it, a blue blur ran past and dived off the cliff. Ladybug and Rena Rouge appeared to have been waiting for that because the spotted pirate tossed the veiled bride to her partner and took off towards the cliff as well._

* * *

Wow. This was really short. But I promise another chapter will be out soon!

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	54. Taking a Break

I wrote this instead of sleeping. Why am I even still surprised?

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _"...Ladybug and Rena Rouge appeared to have been waiting for that because the spotted pirate tossed the veiled bride to her partner and took off towards the cliff as well."_

Marinette's voice faded and everyone nearly shouted their protest.

"You can't be done yet!"

 **"The moon hasn't even set!"**

 **"We're all still wide awake!"**

"Don't stop!"

With a laugh, she quieted them, "We aren't stopping for the night, I just thought, we could all use a little break before we get to the final stretch." So with much grumbling from Manon, Ella, and Etta, everyone stood up and stretched, or walked around, or did whatever they wanted really

Marinette remained where she had been sitting but could be seen sipping from a cup of water. Time passed and eventually, the pigtailed captain called everyone back to their seats. Everyone settled down almost instantly.

Clearing her throat, Marinette began again, " _Rena Rouge, with the captured Marinette, went first, and just before..."_

* * *

I'm gonna leave it there for tonight, or this morning, or whatever. Goodnight!

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	55. The Flying Ladybug! (Part 16)

This story is getting really close to 60 chapters! Granted the chapters are also super short, but no matter! 60 is 60!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Rena Rouge, with the captured Marinette, went first, and just before she went over the edge Dylan caught a glimpse of Marinette's terrified blue eyes and knew he would do whatever it took to get her back._

 _Ladybug was quick to follow her companions, but before she escaped, she stopped and turned to face them. Armed with a confident smirk, she spoke, "Oh and as for that little comment before. We're pirates, not common thieves!"_

 _With a backwards wave, Ladybug lept off the cliff, and for those that got a full view of her fluttering coat, it looked as if she were flying._

 _Down below Ladybug hit the water with a splash. Though the water was deep, she still managed to somehow hit the back of her head. Scrambling to Swim to the surface, Marinette caught her breath as an arm clothed in some of the most expensive material helped her into the tiny boat. "Honestly, where would you be without us?" Queen Bee asked exasperatedly, yet fondly. The blonde had quickly thrown off the veil of the dress after she had hit the water._

 _"Probably getting married to that fancy-schmancy Duke or whatever he is." Rena Rouge added._

 _"Or planning her own escape. Marinette isn't the type to just sit quietly and wait." Paon joked._

 _Marinette smiled as the three pirates joked and laughed. Although she had only known them for a few hours, Marinette could already tell that they were a lively trio. They took turns rowing, which Marinette finally got the hang of, after a few hilarious failures. All the while, her head began to hurt more and more. Doing her best to ignore the pain, Marinette threw her all into rowing._

 _After a particularly hard splat of the oar, Marinette got splashed in the face with a spray of water. The three pirates laughed as the girl dressed as Ladybug smiled good-naturedly and gently rubbed the back of her head. Queen Bee seemed to notice her discomfort and moved to get a look at the spot she was rubbing._

 _What Queen Bee found was a large bump that was beginning to look quite painful. "So tell me doc, how bad is it?" Marinette lightly joked before falling unconscious. Paon was quick to catch her head before it could get banged around anymore._

 _"I swear, our captain is going to kill us one of these days." Rena Rouge sighed as she and Queen Bee turned the little lifeboat in the direction of the hidden Tikki and started rowing._

 _"But we wouldn't have it any other way, now would we?"_

 _Unbeknownst to the three pirates laughing and smiling above her, and the girl herself, that hit to her head had actually begun the process of returning her memories._

* * *

Well, Marinette just seems to be fainting left and right, doesn't she? Oops.

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	56. The Flying Ladybug! (Finale)

I think this will really be the one!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Marinette opened her eyes, fully expecting to see three figures sitting above her talking and laughing. What she saw instead was a beautiful sandy beach with thousands of colorful and oddly shaped seashells surrounding her. Out of curiosity, she picked one up._

 _ **Laughter filled the air as Alya absolutely dominated the new kid, Kim, in the race he had challenged her to.**_

 _The vision faded and Marinette laughed happily as she picked up one shell after another, eager to see what else they had to share. Memory after memory filling her head._

 _ **Marinette was six and welcoming her first sister into her family. Seven when Nino became family. Eight saw Alya, Ella, and Etta entering. Nine years old, with Kim and Alix being discovered and joining them.**_

 _ **Learning to swordfight, baking with her mom, watching as her mother's crew terrified ships of every size and shape. Laughing whenever her dad told a particularly bad pun.**_

 _ **When they were ten and eleven they all chose pirate names for themselves. Being twelve and committing her first pirate worthy crime with her five siblings. Fourteen and Marinette officially became Ladybug and captain of Tikki.**_

 _ **Aged fifteen and gathering a faithful and loyal crew she could trust and call family. Sixteen and setting off on her first search, as Ladybug, for the ships her siblings were all but destined to captain themselves and coming back empty-handed and disappointed. Marinette at seventeen years old and watching from the sidelines as the youngest three pirates cause mischief everywhere they went. Seventeen still, getting ready to turn eighteen when a storm hits and blows her overboard**_

 _By the time Marinette had stopped picking up shells, she was standing in front of a very familiar boat._

 _Placing her small hand on the side of her ship, she spoke, "It's good to see you again, Tikki." Tikki hummed lightly, happy to see her captain once again. Then the oddest thing yet happened. The pirate ship began to glow and shrink. It morphed and shifted until standing before Marinette was not a boat but a girl._

 _The girl was shorter than the captain but gave off the essence of power nonetheless. With a smile, the mysterious girl spoke, "It's a pleasure to see you alive and well as well, Captain Ladybug! The former boat hugged her and began pushing Marinette towards the sea, where an extremely nostalgic feeling was emanating from. The girl that used to be Tikki continued to speak as she pushed the confused girl further into the ocean, "We'll have time to talk later, but for now, it is time for you to wake up!"_

 _Marinette's body was steadily being swallowed by the water until finally her entire body was submerged._

 _Deep ocean blue eyes flashed open, much to the surprise of the eight people watching her. Etta, Manon, and Ella were the first to recover as they shrieked and tackled her even further into her bed._

 _Before long Marinette was sitting up and her family was laughing and smiling, and lightly cursing her for being so dang difficult to find. After a few days good rest, she was up and out on deck celebrating with her crew._

 _But even as they sang and danced. The story of a young bride cruelly snatched from her loving fiance and a new rumor that the pirate captain Ladybug could now fly were being spread from traveler to traveler, ship to ship, town to town, growing larger and wilder with every retelling._

* * *

That's it! That is the end of The Flying Ladybug!

I just want to say thank you, everyone, for sticking with this extremely long story within a story!

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	57. A Challenge

Happy Thanksgiving!

Or to the people who are reading this in another country,... Happy Random Thursday!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

With a fond roll of her eyes, Marinette stared at her peacefully sleeping crew. Deciding it would be too much trouble to wake everyone up, she decided to leave them where they lay slumped over each other.

All of them except for the young ten-year-olds, of course. One by one, the captain picked up the younger girls and carried them to their shared room.

After Marinette closed the door to their room a thought entered her mind, so with a small smile, she headed off to bed herself.

Adrien awoke to the sound of everyone else groaning as they stretched their stiff muscles. They were all still half asleep when the terrible trio (as Adrien had come to affectionally call Manon, Ella, and Etta) bounded into the room and shouted at everyone to hurry and get up because the Captain had something to tell them.

At once it seemed as if their sore muscles melted away and they were all as energetic as the youngest pirates. Catching up with Nino, Adrien managed to ask, "Why is everyone in such a hurry?"

"We've all gotta get into pirating mode, dude." Nino grabbed his wrist and pulled him along faster, "Marinette's giving an announcement as Ladybug, and that means official business." Grabbing his Chat Noir outfit, Adrien started changing.

Within fifteen minutes, one of the most terrifying groups of pirates was assembled on deck, ready to receive the orders of their captain. Adrien was going to stand towards the back of the group, but a shove from Nino brought him up front with the first mates.

Ladybug cast a glance over them, and those close enough could see the faint blush that painted her cheeks when her eyes passed over Adrien. (A topic that Alya, Alix, and Chloe would be sure to bring up the next time they got a moment alone with her.) Clearing her throat she began, "I know that all of you have been wondering what we will be doing next. For the next six months, the first mates and I will be searching for the other members of the Miraculous Fleet." Excited whispers broke out. It had been a while since any searching had been done in earnest. The captain waited for everyone to quiet down before she continued.

"But before we do that, there is still one thing that must be done. Along with my first mates, I would like to take one other person, but as of yet, they are not officially a wanted pirate. So," Her piercing gaze landed on Adrien like a dart, and he could feel himself take a small step back, "Chat Noir. That is the pirate name you have chosen for yourself. And it will be under that name that you commit a crime worthy of a crew member of Tikki. When we reach the next port, you will have two weeks to complete this challenge. Will you accept this challenge as I have described it?"

Adrien nervously looked around at everyone else, their eyes were completely on him. So with a deep breath, his eyes slid closed and a smirk formed on his lips. Taking a step forward, his eyes opened to meet her's head on, "It would be my pleasure, m'lady."

Her cheeks went from a dark pink to a light red as she broke the staring contest and turned away with only a single word in reply, "Excellent."

* * *

So I've got some news! This story only has three chapters left after this!

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	58. A Plan

I.O.N.

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* * *

Chat Noir stalked through the dark streets of the sleeping town in a silent panic. It had been three days since his challenge had begun, and he was no closer to finding a way to land a price on his head than when he had started. The young man was so lost in his own panic that he didn't notice when two figures began to close in on him. In fact, Chat Noir was unaware of their presence altogether until they each threw an arm around his shoulders and began to drag him towards the harbor.

The cat themed pirate began to struggle until he heard one of them speak. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. People are trying to sleep after all."

Adrien released a relieved sigh, "Nino." And upon closer inspection of the second figure, "Chloe."

With an annoyed huff, she responded, "Of course it's us. Who else would it be? Now stop struggling and hurry up." At her urging, the two boys picked up the pace and the three quickly made their way to the docks.

Once they finally stopped, Adrien voiced a question that had been building since he found out who it was, "So, not that I don't love getting forcefully dragged around, but why are you two here?"

"Because the entire ship has been watching you for the past three days, try and fail to come up with a plan, and honestly it's just sad at this point." Chloe so eloquently put.

"I would have found a nicer way to that, but she's not wrong dude. It is getting a little sad. " Nino added with a sheepish shrug.

Adrien was unimpressed, "So you forced me to come here so you could tell me just _**how**_ badly I'm doing?"

"No dude, we're here to help."

"By insulting me?!"

"By helping you clear your head and make a plan."

"How?"

Chloe sighed and tried to give him a hint, "You've been focusing on the wrong part of the challenge."

"That makes absolutely no sense."

Nino good-naturedly nudged Adrien's shoulder, "Just trust us."

"Fine."

Locking eyes, the two more experienced pirates shared a slight smile and Nino started, "Okay, now bro take a deep breath and think about the conversations you overheard."

"Got it."

"What were they about?"

"Everyone's talking about the governor's monthly parade where he shows off some of his fancy clothes." Even as he recalled the conversations a spec of an idea began to float around in his brain.

"Really? How conceited can one man get?" Chloe sneered.

"Obviously this man needs to be taken down a few pegs. So Adrien what are you going to do about it?" Nino questioned.

With a smirk that was pure pirate confidence, Chat Noir spoke, "I think I have an idea."

* * *

Third to last chapter is finished!

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	59. The Deception

Second to last chapter!

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Why should I hire you? I have plenty of fine tailors here, and no other governor in any of the surrounding towns and cities have finer clothes than I." The governor leaned forward with a leer, "So tell me, boy, why should I hire you?"

Chat Noir looked at the man in front of him. What he said was true, his clothes were of fine quality, Adrien might not have an ounce of fashion sense in his body but even he could see that. However, the governor himself seemed to be of the extremely gullible variety. "M'lord, it is true that your tailors have made clothes for you to the best of their abilities. But, I can guarantee you that they have never presented clothing made from magic cloth to you before."

The governor's interest was piqued, "Magic you say? What kind of magic?"

"My cloth is invisible to all fools, m'lord. Only the wise and clever will be able to see it. And not only that, but the clothes that are made from it are of the finest quality, putting all others to shame."

"How quickly can you produce a set of clothes for me? How much would it cost?"

With a genuinely thoughtful look, Chat Noir gave an estimate three days and quite a generous sum of money. Chat could see the conflict in the man's eyes, it was a great deal, but also a rather high price, it took nearly all of his strength not to break out in a grin.

"I can give you six days and half the price." The older man bargained, but to his dismay, the cat-themed tailor was already shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, but part of what makes the magic so strong and personal is that the wearer's own money must be sewn into the cloth. The amount I gave you is the absolute minimum I would need for the magic to effective."

And so the haggling went, with the governor always trying to go cheaper, and the longer it went on, the higher Chat drove the price until finally the governor gave in and agreed to a price almost double the original amount. After the last few details were ironed out, measurements and so forth, the head of the guard escorted Adrien to the room that would be his for the next three days.

* * *

"Here you are, Gabriel! A fresh loaf of bread and some extra pastries my husband snuck in when he thought I wasn't looking!" Sabine said cheerfully, as she handed over the basket to the tailor.

"Thank you, Sabine. You and your husband have made my living here much easier." Gabriel responded with a tiny smile.

"Oh, it's no problem! After all, what are friends for?"

"True."

Sabine looked at one of the newer residents of their little harbor, and noticed that he seemed a little more distant than he usually was, "Is something troubling you, Gabriel?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, "It's just," he hesitated, before sighing again, "I don't understand how you and Tom can go about your days without breaking down over the stress of knowing that your kids are out there, on a pirate ship, and not just any pirate ship. No, it's one of the most infamous pirate ships in the known world. But, the two of you allowed all six of your children to join up with her."

Sabine's eyes widened in understanding, with a nod of her head she stood by the window in front of his desk, "It can be difficult for both of us, sometimes, to think that our babies are out there, getting into who knows what kind of trouble. Especially since they're pirates. But I know we raised our children to be good people, no matter the circumstances. So I trust that they'll do the right thing." Then her smile turned of reminiscing to slightly mischievous, "Besides, Gabriel, we never allowed them to do anything. We just didn't stop them."

"I will never understand how such a kind baker's family turned out six pirates." The small baker just laughed.

Just then, Tom's, much deeper, voice sounded from the entrance, "Most never will." He added, also with a secretive laugh in his tone. But then he sobered and clapped Gabriel on the back looking straight into his eyes before he continued, "But if it really does still bother you to think about Adrien being out there. Then think about this instead, every time Tikki has left this harbor, she has always come back. And she always will. You can trust them."

"...Thank you for that."

"Anytime, my friend. Anytime."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the entire mansion, a pair of crimson eyes was watching the window of one particular room in the mansion. Once the sun began to set a candle was lit in that window to give the occupant better light by which to work with. Juleka smiled quietly and headed back to confirm that Adrien had indeed begun his plan.

This continued for the next three days, the first day Rose went to check on him, then Max, and surprisingly Ivan, who despite his size was pretty quiet when he wanted to be. They would watch the window until the sun when down, then they would go back to the ship.

The pirates weren't the only ones interested in that window. It appeared that the rest of the town was as well. Rumors had spread quickly. And nearly every adult would stop on their evening walks just to catch a glimpse of the supposedly magical tailor. Of course, some were skeptical and believed it all to be a big joke. Not that they would ever let on. If it turned out they were wrong, they'd get to see some magical clothing, if it came out they were right all along, then they'd get the added benefit of seeing their self-righteous governor get taken down a peg or five.

While this was going on, Adrien was having the time of his life driving the people of authority in the mansion crazy. Every morning the governor would send one of this officials to the room, and he would be busy pretending to weave the cloth or sewing pieces together. And every time he would ask them how they felt about the colors and textures. Invariably, they would hesitate for a second before raining the praise of the vibrancy of the color, the softness of the cloth. The officials would linger around the room for a few more minutes before they quickly excused themselves.

And if throughout the day, expensive little nick-nacks went missing, well they had no proof it was him.

However, despite the ruse being extremely fun, and the extra doodads he'd managed to collect would definitely pad the total haul. The faux tailor knew he should leave before everything started getting real, but he just could not resist the temptation to see the Governor's face when the older man realized what had happened.

So with almost animalistic glee Chat Noir slipped through the quickly emptying streets toward the main street that led to the pier.

* * *

So to make up for the long wait, I made you all an extra long chapter!

Comment what you thought!

Hope you enjoyed!

See ya next time!


	60. The Final Chapter

So it's late at night on Saturday and I have nothing better to do with my non-existent social life than write up this final chapter of Miraculous Pirates!.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chat Noir laughed as he carried the large bags of money and jewels as the Governor's guards chased him. The governor himself was hiding away in his manor nursing his rage and avoiding as much embarrassment as possible. With an infuriating grin, he led them through the town heading towards the port, and towards Tikki. Before he realized it, two or three guards that had gotten a little too close were taken down with surprised grunts.

The shadows that had brought them down melted back into the shadows of the surrounding buildings and began to run ahead of even Chat Noir.

For a time, it looked as if Chat Noir had escaped them until they reached the pier and saw a ship beginning to head out and they saw a dark figure with clawed gloves waving goodbye. The guards began shouting abuse at the escaping ship. Right up until they saw the name of the ship. Then the governor's guards nearly trampled each other to get away from the sea and the pirates that had just left them.

* * *

Lila glared intensely at the piece of paper that sat innocently in front of her. As if her anger alone would convince the information that was held in the paper to appear. Unfortunately for her temper, it stayed completely unchanged and blank.

"You know miss Lila, all that glaring you're doin' is only gonna cause you pain in the head." One of the sailors joked as he stood in her doorway.

"Is that a fact." Lila replied with icy politeness.

The sailor raised his hands in surrender, "Didn't mean no harm. Just trying to distract you from your troubles."

"If I had wanted someone's advice, I would have asked." Lila was snappish, but at that moment she didn't really care, all she wanted was for the sailor to leave. However, despite her clear dismissal, the man continued to stand in her door, a stupid little grin on the older man's face. After a few minutes of angrily glaring at the man, Lila finally snapped. "Is there a reason you are here? Other than to be a nuisance?"

With a laugh, the sailor answered her angry question, "Well now that you mention it, the Captain said Lord Dylan-"

"Why do you do that?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I meant why don't you call Lord Dylan the Captain. Isn't it his boat?" Lila questioned despite her annoyance with him.

If anything, the sailor's infuriating grin grew, "Well you see, Lord Dylan might own the boat, but unless he's the one steering her and defending her and her crew, she isn't his. Any good captain is loyal to their ship and their crew. So you see, while that noble in the fancy clothes thinks he's really the captain because he owns her, he isn't her captain, nor is he ours. Does that answer your question, Miss Lila?" In spite of how annoying he was, forgetting the fact this was the first conversation she'd ever had with the man, Lila felt a grudging respect for the sailor.

"Yes. Thank you."

"Then as I was saying, Lord Dylan wanted to speak with you."

"Do you know why?"

"Nope, I'm only the messenger ma'am."

"Has anyone ever told you how annoying you can be."

"Why should someone tell me what I already know?"

For the first time in what had probably been years, Lila laughed a true heartfelt laugh. It was really more of a snort, but it was there. With a genuine smile, she asked her new acquaintance, "Then would you mind escorting me to Lord Dylan's quarters?"

The sailor bowed his head in mock formality, "T'woud be my pleasure, mademoiselle." Together they left her cabin.

Before they had gone far, Lila thought of something, "I don't believe I ever asked for your name."

"I don't see much reason as to why a so-phis-ti-ca-ted lady like yourself would want to know a lowly sailor's name."

"Well I can't very well keep calling you 'the annoying sailor' now can I?"

"That name is so friendly, I'm tempted to just refuse so you have to." The sailor laughed, causing Lila to groan in annoyance.

"UGH!"

After a few more chuckles the older man relented and told her his name, "If you absolutely _**must**_ call me anything besides, 'the annoying sailor', you can call me Steven with a ph." That got Lila really laughing.

"You can't be serious. With a ph? That's your last name?"

"Yep! Born and raised a proud with a ph! It's where I get my annoyingness from. But anyways Miss Lila, it appears I have successfully escorted you to Lord Dylan's cabin."

"Why thank you, good sir!" Lila replied with a mock curtsey.

"It was my pleasure." With that, Steven with a ph left to attend to his other duties, or annoy someone else. It really was a fifty-fifty chance with him. With one last chuckle at his retreating form, Lila schooled her features to look as if it had still been years since anything that fun had ever taken place and knocked on Dylan's door.

"Come in."

* * *

Marinette, Chloe, Nino, Alya, Kim, and Alix, all dressed in their pirate uniforms, and all sitting in the captain's cabin staring at Adrien, who for his part was very nervous. He had rarely seen all six of them so serious, and standing in front of them felt like staring down six very vicious dogs who all very much wanted to kill him. Finally, Jade Turtle (for in that moment they were not the awesome friends he had gotten to know but the legendary pirates that instilled fear in all that saw them) broke the silence.

"I'll admit, what you pulled off was pretty impressive. Not many of us could pull it off."

"Thanks? I'm sensing a 'but' somewhere in there."

Ladybug took a deep breath and continued from where Jade Turtle left off, "But, while you do show promise that you could be an amazing pirate and a good addition to our crew. The deal I made with you was a little unfair, so I want to remedy that."

Adrien looked at them in confusion, "I'm not sure I understand."

Paon leaned against the desk, "The Captain means that she issued you that challenge as if it were certain that you would want to come with us. But we all neglected to ask you if you even wanted to come with us on our search."

Queen Bee picked up the ball next, "So we want to ask you now. Do you want to come with us?"

"What exactly would happen if I were to go with you?"

Nabi laughed, "It's different every time! Once we hit this really bad storm and nearly drowned. Then we got attacked by all sorts of monsters. Or sirens will try and crush us. It was amazing!" Rena Rouge rolled her eyes at how excited her adopted brother was about their many near-death experiences.

"The point is, we couldn't tell you what could possibly happen if you go with us."

"Sounds dangerous." But even as he said it, excitement was building inside of him.

Queen Bee smiled as the anticipation built, "Yep."

"Almost certain possible death."

"Who knows what could happen."

"Complete mystery."

"It's gonna be so epic!"

Ladybug finally turned back to him, "So, are you in?"

Chat Noir's grin grew even larger, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

As one the six pirates smiled and spoke, " **Then welcome aboard.** "

* * *

Longest. Chapter. Ever! Also: Last CHAPTER!

This was story was so much fun to write, and everyone who commented on this, just made it so much better!

I am so thankful to all of you who took time out of your busy lives to read this story all the way through. I really hope you enjoyed it.

I am going to try and write a sequel but I can make no promises, sorry.

On the bright side, I do have a little extra thingy called Miraculous Pirates! Mini Stories! Because I have a lot of things I wanted to add into this story, but I just couldn't find the right way to go about it. But if you have any unanswered questions you've wanted answers to, go there and ask and I will do my best to flesh out the story!

The first official chapter is the complete, uninterrupted story of The Flying Ladybug!

Comment your thoughts on this final chapter!

See ya!


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